Any Human Friend is out August 9th in North and South America from Sub Pop (and the rest of the world through AMF Records)
[Single Art Photography by Joost Vandebrug]
Marika Hackman is back with “the one,” the second single from her forthcoming album Any Human Friend, out August 9th via Sub Pop in North and South America and AMF Records for the rest of the world.
Displaying an unapologetic attitude and a more liberated sound than ever before, “the one” was co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself. Layered synthesizers make this the album’s most unexpected musical turn, alongside Marika’s signature new wave guitar fretwork and Blondie style delivery, she’s never sounded as widescreen.
The first song written for Any Human Friend, “the one” is “probably the poppiest song I’ve ever written” she says. “ I loved the idea of inhabiting this ridiculous arrogant rock star character who has totally fucked their career by writing too many sad songs.” To that end, it features a riot grrrl Greek chorus hurling such insults at her as “You’re such an attention whore!”
Marika is a ‘Rid of Me’-era PJ Harvey for the inclusive generation: unbounded by musical genre, a preternatural lyricist and tunesmith who isn’t afraid to go there. Hackman’s 2015 debut, We Slept at Last, was heralded for being nuanced and atmospheric. She really found her footing with her last release, I’m Not Your Man, and its exceptional, swaggering International hit “Boyfriend”, which boasts of seducing away a straight guy’s girlfriend.
Marika Hackman’s fall international headlining tour in support of Any Human Friend begins September 21st in Bristol, UK at Thekla and ends November 6th in West Hollywood, CA at The Roxy Theatre. The fall shows are preceded by an appearance at the UK’s Green Man Festival.
Aug.15 - Beacon Breacons, UK - Green Man Festival Sep. 21 - Bristol, UK - Thekla Sep. 23 - Glasgow, UK - Oran Mor Sep. 24 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Club Sep. 25 - Manchester, UK - Band On The Wall Sep. 26 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Oct. 11 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Oct. 12 - Durham, NC - The Pinhook Oct. 13 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Oct. 14 - Philadelphia, PA - Boot & Saddle Oct. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - Elsewhere Oct. 18 - Allston, MA - Great Scott Oct. 19 - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall Oct. 20 - Montréal, QC - Bar Le ‘Ritz’ P.D.B. Oct. 21 - Toronto, ON- The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern Oct. 23 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups Oct. 24 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig Oct. 25 - Chicago, IL- Sleeping Village Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Back Room at Colectivo Coffee Oct. 28 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry Nov. 01 - Seattle, WA - Neumos Nov. 04 - Oakland, CA - Starline Social Club Nov. 06 - West Hollywood, CA - The Roxy Theatre
On July 12th, Sub Pop will release a chronological trip through the lesser known material of METZ. Automat is a collection of non-album singles, B-sides, and rarities dating back to 2009, from the widely-adored and delightfully noisy 3-piece punk band. This will be the first time that this 12-song collection will be available on LP.
The band has shared a new video for their song “ Dry Up.” “METZ have been making music together for over 10 years,” says the band’s frontman Alex Edkins. “It’s been a blur. We’ve very rarely allowed ourselves to look backward. We’ve been hyper-focused on always moving forward at breakneck speed, perpetually fixated on what’s next. The video for ‘Dry Up,’ as well as the Automatalbum, is an attempt to pause, take a breath, look backward and take stock of our past. It’s intended to express how grateful we are to be able to do what we do. It’s a love letter to the incredible places we’ve traveled, the beautiful people we’ve met, to community, music, and friendship.”
Consumers of the vinyl format of Automat will be rewarded with a bonus single that includes three additional tracks: a cover of Sparklehorse’s “Pig,” from a very limited 2012 Record Store Day split single originally released by Toronto’s Sonic Boom record shop; “I’m a Bug,” a cover of The Urinals’ art-punk classic, originally released on YouTube (not an actual record label) in 2014; and METZ’s previously unreleased rendition of Gary Numan’s “M.E.”
All tracks on Automat have been lovingly remastered by Matthew Barnhart at Chicago Mastering Service.
METZ are currently hard at work on their 4th full-length LP which will be released on Sub Pop when we are all damn good and ready.
METZ are heading overseas on June 23rd, to begin a 14-date EU run with performances at Loose Ends Festival in Amsterdam, Lars Rock Festival in Chiusi Scalo, IT, Pointu Festival in Island Gaou, FR, and wrapping up July 14th in Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR. See below for a full list of shows.
Jun. 23 - Amsterdam, NL- Loose Ends Festival Jun. 25 - Bristol, UK - Fleece Jun. 26 - Leeds, UK - Brudenell Social Jun. 27 - Manchester, UK - YES Jun. 28 - London, UK - Studio 9294 Jun. 29 - Eindhoven, NL - Effenaar Jul. 02 - Zurich, CH - Bogen F Jul. 03 - Lyon, FR - Ninkasi Gerland / Kao Jul. 05 - Chiusi Scalo, IT - Lars Rock Festival Jul. 06 - Milan, IT - Santeria Social Club Jul. 07 - Ile du Gaou, FR - Pointu Festival Jul. 09 - Düdingen, CH - Bad Bonn Jul. 10 - Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, LU - Rotondes Jul. 11 - Bremen, DE - TOWER Musikclub Jul. 12 - Herk-De-Stad, Belgium - Rock Herk Festival Jul. 13 - Paris, France - La Station, Gare Des Mines for Garage MU Festival Jul. 14 - Montmartin-sur-Mer, FR - Chauffer Dans La Noirceur
Recently, Preservation Hall Jazz Band released “Kreyol,” a spirited tune from A Tuba To Cuba, the forthcoming soundtrack to the critically acclaimed documentary directed by T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch. Listen and share “Kreyol” here.
[photo credit: Josh Goleman]
Preservation Hall Jazz Band has announced their A Tuba To Cuba tour today. The dates add to previously announced performances including Newport Folk Festival, SF Jazz, three-nights in Baltimore at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and more. A special pre-sale will begin on Wednesday, June 12th at 10am local and will end on Thursday, June 13th at 10pm local. All remaining tickets will go on sale Friday, June 14th at 10am local. For complete details on tickets and VIP packages please visit http://www.atubatocubatour.com. See below for full dates.
“When we travel to a place like Cuba, not only do we get to share our music, but we also get to experience other music, other traditions, and other’s rituals. It’s a door that we get to walk through and every now and then we get a glimpse behind the curtain. The people we meet become our friends and family. The imprint they leave becomes a part of us and our music, it’s a rare and beautiful thing. Now we get to share that experience with you.” - Ben Jaffe
A Tuba To Cuba follows Ben Jaffe of New Orleans’ famed Preservation Hall Jazz Band as he seeks to fulfill his late father’s dream of retracing their musical roots to the shores of Cuba in search of the indigenous music that gave birth to New Orleans jazz. A Tuba To Cubacelebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music and challenges us to resolve to build bridges, not walls. The film is available through Amazon Video, iTunes, DirecTV, Google Play, YouTube Movies and more. Check your local service provider for additional listings.
The New York Times says of the film, “This joyous, wide-ranging account of a New Orleans jazz band’s 2015 visit to Cuba is crammed with fascinating facts and toe-tickling tunes.” And the LA Times offers this, “Jaunty, at times poetic chats and drop-ins with many Big Easy and Cuban jazz artists, discussion of their music’s African lineage (the Atlantic slave trade factored in), stirring examples of native instrumentation, and pulsating performances combine with colorful, travelogue-type shots (love those old Cuban theaters) and vivid archival footage to create a vibrant and joyous portrait.”
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Tour Dates:
Jul 05 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Jul 06 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Jul 28 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival Aug 02 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug 03 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug 05 - Folsom, CA - Harris Center For The Arts Aug 06 - Folsom, CA - Harris Center For The Arts Aug 08 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ Aug 09 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ (7:00PM) Aug 10 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ (9:30PM) Aug 11 - San Francisco, CA - SF Jazz Center - Miner Auditorium Aug 15 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 16 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 17 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 18 - Philadelphia, PA - Old Pool Farm Aug 24 - Arrington, VA - Lockn’ Music Festival Sep 20 - Louisville, KY - Bourbon & Beyond Festival Sep 21 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music Festival Sep 22 - Franklin, TN - Pilgrimage Music Festival Oct 22 - Ridgefield, CT - The Ridgefield Playhouse^ Oct 23 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Center for the Arts^ Oct 24 - New York, NY – The Town Hall^ Oct 25 - Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center^ Oct 26 - Portsmouth, NH - The Music Hall^ Oct 28 - Montreal, QC - Place des Arts – Theatre Maisoneuve^ Oct 29 - Toronto, ON - Roy Thomson Hall^ Oct 30 - Pittsburgh, PA - Byham Theater^ Nov 01 - Kent, OH - The Kent Stage^ Nov 02 - Goshen, IN - Goshen College Music Center^ Nov 04 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall^ Nov 05 - Saint Paul, MN - Fitzgerald Theater^ Nov 07 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre^ Nov 08 - Los Angeles, CA - ACE Hotel Nov 09 - Phoenix, AZ - Music Theater at MIM^ Nov 11 - Livermore, CA - Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center^ Nov 13 - Chico, CA - CSU Chico - Laxson Auditorium^ Nov 15 - Santa Rosa, CA - Luther Burbank Center for the Arts^ Nov 16 - Arcata, CA - John Van Duzer Theatre ^ Nov 17 - Portland, OR - Revolution Hall^ Nov 18 - Seattle, WA - Benaroya Hall – Taper Auditorium^ Nov 20 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre^ Nov 21 - Santa Barbara, CA - UCSB Campbell Hall^ Nov 22 - San Diego, CA - Wonderfront Music Festival Nov 29 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Nov 30 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Dec 01 - Baltimore, MD - Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Transcendent folk-pop artist Shannon Lay will release August, her Sub Pop debut, on CD/LP/DL/CS worldwide on August 23rd. You can now watch the official video for “Nowhere,” the album’s lead single, directed by Lay and Chris Slater. She says of the song and visual, “I want this song to emphasize the importance of enjoying the journey. The video is moments of in between travel footage, different settings around my home, singing in the bounty of spring. There is so much power in presence, enjoy every moment, savor every second. Cherish the memories made along the way and appreciate how they change and shape you.”
The title August refers to the month in 2017 when Lay quit her day job and fully gave herself over to music. This was her liberation as an artist, and the album is devoted to paying that forward to her listeners. “It’s a thank you to the universe,” says the Los Angeles artist. Exquisitely uplifting, August doubles as an aural baptism renewing her purpose for making music. “I always picture music as this river. Everyone’s throwing things into this river, it’s a place you can go to and feed off of that energy,” she says, “and feel nourished by the fact that so many people are feeling what you’re feeling. It’s this beautiful exchange.” You can listen to her cover of the classic Karen Dalton track “Something On Your Mind” here.
August is now available for preorder from Sub Pop. LP preorders of the album through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in North America, UK, and Europe will receive the limited Loser edition on orange vinyl (North America) and Sun Yellow vinyl (UK/EU) while supplies last.
As previously reported, Shannon Lay will be a member of Ty Segall’s Freedom Band for his upcoming full album residencies in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London, Berlin, and Haarlem (See Pitchfork’s news story April 24th).
Following these shows, Shannon Lay will embark on an 18-date North American tour opening for Mikal Cronin, beginning November 8th in Portland at Mississippi Studios and ending on December 1st in San Diego at the Casbah. Click here for a full list of dates.
August Track Listing:
1. Death Up Close 2. Nowhere 3. November 4. Shuffling Stoned 5. Past Time 6. Wild 7. August 8. Sea Came to Shore 9. Sunday Sundown 10. Something On Your Mind 11. Unconditional 12. The Dream
Today The Gotobeds - Cary, TFP, Eli and Gavin - unleash their third full lengther, Debt Begins at 30. The esprit de corps and anxiety-free joy that permeates their other LPs and EPs remains intact. The octane is high-test, the engine still has knocks and pings and the battery is overcharged. The Gotobeds - as Pittsburgh as it gets, the folk music of the Steel City - have more tar for us to swallow. Debt Begins at 30 is an old-fashioned blast furnace and the liquid iron flows.
Debt Begins at 30 features outside contributors on every track, including a special “Debt Begins at 30 (Alt version)” featuring the wonderful Victoria Ruiz - front woman of label mates Downtown Boys. Hear here.
Debt Begins at 30 is now available for preorder through Sub Pop Mega Mart. Preorders of the LP through megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in the U.S., and select European and UK retailers will receive the limited, orange-vinyl Loser Edition while supplies last.
Debt Begins at 30 Tracklisting:
1. Calquer the Hound (with Evan Richards of The City Buses and Rob Henry of Kim Phuc) 2. Twin Cities (with Tracy Wilson of Positive No) 3. Slang Words (with Joe Casey of Protomartyr) 4. 2:15 (with Matt Barnhart of Tre Orsi/Mint Mile) 5. Poor People Are Revolting (with Pittsburgh poet Jason Baldinger and Gerard Cosloy of Air Traffic Controllers/Homestead Records/12XU Records) 6 .Debt Begins at 30 (with Mike Seamans of Mind Cure Records) and Bob Weston of Shellac/Mission of Burma) 7. On Loan (with Greg Ahee of Protomartyr) 8. Dross (with Bob Nastanovich of Pavement/Silver Jews) 9. Parallel (with Tim Midyett of Mint Mile/Silkworm) 10. Bleached Midnight (with Pittsburgh poet Scott MacIntyre) 11. Debt Begins at 30 (Alt version) (with Victoria Ruiz of Downtown Boys)
Read more about The Gotobeds and Debt Begins at 30 over here.
