Weyes Blood has 2017 North American and European tour dates supporting Father John Misty
[Photo Credit: Katie Miller]
Yes indeed! We signed Weyes Blood (!!!) aka Natalie Mering for the world, to release her label debut in 2018. We’ve been longtime fans of the Los Angeles-based musician/singer’s work, from her four releases for Mexican Summer, as well as her collaborations with the likes of Ariel Pink, Perfume Genius, and Drugdealer.
Weyes Blood’s most recent release is the universally acclaimed, Front Row Seat To Earth. Pitchfork gave the album “Best New Music” and said, “…She crafts emotional epics that masquerade as psych-folk ballads, subtly symphonic songs that are informed by yesterday but live and breathe right now.” The Fader raved, “The exceptional voice of Natalie Mering never ceases to sweep us off our feet…” And NPR Music offers this, “She embraces composure as a response to her generation’s uneasiness with the ruination of the planet and fading promises of stability and prosperity. Rather than treating gentleness and grace as liabilities, she refracts her kinship with the voices of ’60s folksingers like Joan Baez and Mary Travers, ’70s soft rockers like Karen Carpenter, and Celtic new-age stylists like Enya — particularly their dulcet timbres, cursive phrasing and willowy vibratos — through her own vision.”
While we wait for the new album, Weyes Blood has just released a new 7” single via Mexican Summer [link here]. The single featuring covers of Soft Machine’s “A Certain Kind” and Fred Neil’s song “Everybody’s Talkin”. “Everybody’s Talkin’” b/w “A Certain Kind” is a capsule of Mering’s care for those artists and songs that have influenced her but also a discovery of a different kind — the words and melodies become Mering’s and ours through her intimate interpretation and commitment to seeking culture’s fringes for deeper meaning. For more information on the single, please visit mexicansummer.com.
Natalie Mering aka Weyes Blood has released three full-length albums, a couple EPs, and has collaborated with such acts as Ariel Pink, Drugdealer and Perfume Genius. Mering’s entire output thus far has been an exercise in exploring the atemporal. She is a musician and a singer, after all, but the particular process of Weyes Blood’s development and Mering’s experimentation, with everything from her early days of local-noise-scene strangeness, to her present mastery of timeless balladry highlight her as a meticulous sonic alchemist.
The Innocents, Weyes Blood’s Mexican Summer debut, deepened and broadened the shimmering murkiness of her earlier album, The Outside Room, by shaving away the fuzzy lo-fi production to reveal a classic and singular songwriting ability.
Cardamom Times, the EP that followed, went further down the folky, lyrically evocative path that The Innocents traveled. The influence of classical music can be felt throughout these two works, rivaling the folk music lineage one may like to situate Mering’s songs.
Weyes Blood’s most recent album, the critically acclaimed Front Row Seat To Earth, captivates immediately with its frank clarity in both sound and word. Still retaining the deep influence of the classical while also blending in noise experimentations, Mering is at her most intimate and vulnerable here, due in large part to her stunning vocals and simple, essential lyrical phrasing.
Weyes Blood is currently touring and working on her Sub Pop debut which will be released in 2018.
Weyes Blood Tour Dates + Ticket Links
Weyes Blood will also act as direct support on Father John Misty’s forthcoming North American and European fall tour in some of the largest rooms she’s played to date. The tour begins September 18th with a sold out show at Toronto’s Massey Hall and ends November 20th at Lisbon’s Coliseu dos Recreios. Along the way, she’ll play one-offs at The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Pop Montreal and Joshua Tree’s Desert Daze.
Sep. 14 - Boston, MA - The Institute of Contemporary Art Sep. 18 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall * [SOLD OUT] Sep. 19 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre * Sep. 20 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre * Sep. 21 - Grand Rapids, MI - Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium Sep. 22 - St. Louis, MO - Peabody Opera House * Sep. 23 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre * Sep. 25 - Asheville, NC - Thomas Wolfe Auditorium * Sep. 26 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium * [SOLD OUT] Sep. 27 - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle * Sep. 29 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall * [SOLD OUT] Sep. 30 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory * Oct. 01 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall * Oct. 02 - Austin, TX - Bass Concert Hall * Oct. 04 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre * Oct. 05 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park * Oct. 06 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park * [SOLD OUT] Oct. 11 - Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre * Oct. 12 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl * Oct. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre * Oct. 14 - Pomona, CA - Fox Theater Pomona * Oct. 15 - Joshua Tree, CA - Desert Daze Nov. 01 - Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall * Nov. 02 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy * Nov. 04 - Cardiff, UK - The Great Hall * [SOLD OUT] Nov. 05 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo * [SOLD OUT] Nov. 07 - London,UK - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo * [SOLD OUT] Nov. 08 - London, UK - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo * Nov. 09 - Brighton, UK - Brighton Dome * Nov. 11 - Paris, FR - Le Trianon * Nov. 12 - Brussels, BE - Ancienne Belgique * Nov. 13 - Utrecht, NL - TivoliVredenburg * Nov. 14 - Berlin, DE - Huxley’s * Nov. 16 - Milan, IT - Fabrique * Nov. 18 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz * Nov. 19 - Madrid, ES - La Riviera * Nov. 20 - Lisbon, PT - Coliseu dos Recreios * * w/ Father John Misty
What “The People” have said about Weyes Blood and Front Row Seat to Earth:
What people have said about Weyes Blood and Front Row Seat to Earth:
“Weyes Blood captures a particular sort of generational anxiety and mystery on her fourth album, a softly orchestrated work of pensive, symphonic folk.” - Los Angeles Times
“Singer to watch” - Esquire
“…’60s-leaning throwback bursting with cinematic harmonies, a lysergic, dream-like melody, and vocals that sound like they were dug up from ’70s-era Laurel Canyon and Downey, when the likes of Joni Mitchell and the Carpenters roamed…” - Elle
***** - The Guardian
“Mering envelopes hearts with her mournful, full-throated bellow, which would have been just as at home in the folk-heavy ’70s as it is in 2016.” - Newsweek
Sub Pop Records
is currently searching for an organized and self-motivated individual to handle
College and Non-Commercial Radio Promotions from our headquarters in Seattle,
WA.
The closing date to apply for this position is Friday, September 22, 2017.
Responsibilities
include:
Maintain
relationships with college and non-commercial music directors through daily
phone calls and email correspondence discussing current Sub Pop and Hardly Art
releases.
Work
in coordination with our Director of Radio Promotions, who runs the radio dept.
at Sub Pop.
Represent
the radio department at artist meetings.
Pitch
/ secure in-studio sessions and interviews with college and non-commercial radio
stations, coordinating with commercial radio priorities throughout.
Accompany
bands to in-studio sessions, when possible.
Maintain
and organize Sub Pop’s radio databases. This includes tracking information, as
well as keeping contact information up to date.
Generate
regular email newsletters and maintain associated email list.
Organize
and execute promotional CD mailings to 800+ stations across all radio formats. Organize
giveaway mailings with independent promoters for college radio during album
campaigns.
Work
with independent promoters to set radio add dates.
Work with the
art department to create one-sheets for promotional
mailings.
Check
tracks on releases for FCC violations.
Organize
showcases and performances for Sub Pop and Hardly Art bands at various radio
conferences and conventions. This may
include: booking a venue, coordinating with A&R staff on lineup, and
overseeing/attending the show.
Hire,
train, and manage the full staff of 2-4 radio interns.
Track
and log radio play, etc. in project reports for artists and management.
Our ideal
candidate will:
Have significant experience with both college
and non-commercial radio, through work at a station or college radio promotions
elsewhere.
Have knowledge of and enthusiasm for the Sub Pop
catalog, as well as deep interest in music, generally, and a fundamental belief
in its importance.
Be able to multitask and work in a
community-oriented atmosphere.
Be independent and self-directed. You will often be the only member of the
radio team in the Seattle office.
Be available to work outside of a 9-5 schedule
(attend shows and music festivals).
Have strong communication and writing skills.
Be fluent in all social media platforms as well as
Microsoft Office suite applications and Mail Chimp.
Supervisors: Radio Director + Marketing Director
Please send resumes to Ruth Kim (ruthk@subpop.com) by September 22nd, 2017.
Chad VanGaalen’s fantastic new album Light Information is out now on on CD / LP / DL / CS worldwide from Sub Pop and in Canada from Flemish Eye. The album features the highlights “Mind Hijacker’s Curse” [listen here], “Old Heads” [listen here] and “Pine & Clover” [watch here]. Light Information was written, played, and produced by VanGaalen (save Ryan Bourne’s bass part on “Mystery Elementals” and vocals on “Static Shape” from his young daughters Ezzy and Pip).
The album emerged from the experimental instruments that fill the creative polymath’s Calgary garage studio. Among them is a beloved Korg 770 monosynth, which VanGaalen coveted for years before fixing one up and devoting a lot of recent energy to recording “duets” with it. One of these, “Prep Piano and 770,” is the lone instrumental on Light Information, more atmosphere and chord bursts than the rest of the album’s hooky rock narrative.
On Monday, September 11th, Chad VanGaalen will participate in the Reddit Indieheads AMA at 1pm ET [more info on that is here].
Light Information can be purchased from Sub Pop and Flemish Eye. LP pre orders of the album from megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on crystal clear vinyl (while supplies last). There is also be a new T-shirt design available.
Also out today is the repress of VanGaalen’s Infiniheart, his beloved and long out of print (on vinyl) 2005 debut on 2xLP and Turquoise vinyl. And Chad VanGaalen’s entire discography (Shrink Dust, Infiniheart, Skelliconnection, Soft Airplane, and Diaper Island) is also now available through Bandcamp.
Chad VanGaalen’s previously announced fall 2017 international tour dates in support of Light Information span October 15th in Utrecht, Netherlands at EKKO through December 8th in Montreal, Quebec at The Fairmount. Full list of dates + ticket links are here.
After Kyle Craft wrapped up the recording of his upcoming (all originals) 2018 album, he decided to record a cover of a Jenny Lewis song for fun. This quickly spiraled into a full fledged project with Kyle recording a slew of songs by his favorite female singers. Working with his bandmate, Kevin Clark in their home studio after hours, Craft multi-tracked all the parts himself, and what started as an idle aside became a labor of love.
Now Sub Pop and Craft have picked ten favorites from the sessions to release as Girl Crazy, a series of 2-track singles rolling out weekly starting today, September 7th. Focusing on Craft’s acclaimed interpretive talents – his version of Bowie’s “Heroes” stole the show at Newport 2017 – Girl Crazy introduces audiences, who may know Craft from his Sub Pop debut Dolls of Highland, to another side of the artist. New tracks from the Girl Crazy series will be released every Thursday through October 5th, and will also feature covers of songs by artists like Sharon Van Etten, Jenny Lewis, Cher and Patsy Cline.
The first installment in the covers series are Kyle’s interpretations of Karen Dalton’s ‘Something On Your Mind” [listen here] and Patti Smith’s “Distant Fingers” [listen here].
Kyle Craft and his band will hit the road for a short Northwestern U.S. trek, beginning September 16th in San Francisco at Cafe Du Nord and ending September 21st in Seattle at the Crocodile Cafe.
Sep. 16 - San Francisco, CA - Cafe du Nord Sep. 17 - Williams, OR - Rascal’s Bar & Grill Sep. 18 - Eugene, OR - Fathoms Bar Sep. 19 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios Sep. 21 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile
What “The People” have said about Kyle Craft: “…Undeniably unique: Kyle Craft is a strong contender for outsider of the year. An unlikely hero of the year. An unlikely hero of rock music, he’s nonetheless created a noteworthy, potentially groundbreaking debut album in Dolls of Highland.” - PASTE
“If Dolls of Highland has a basis in autobiography—the title references the Shreveport neighborhood where it was made—Craft spends the album imagining himself as Ziggy Sawdust, a flamboyant fop working the barrelhouse piano in the front room of the seediest bayou bordello. His songs illustrate how the intense religiosity and voodoo-infused mythology of the South make it fertile turf for the sort of colorful characterization and freak-scenery on which glam rock was founded.” - Pitchfork
“Just enough of Ziggy’s stardust gives “Pentecost” its musical sheen, but it’s Craft’s vocal intensity that outlasts all else.” [“10 Artists You Need to Know”] - Rolling Stone
“…hurls together Craft’s Dylan-meets-Brett Anderson holler with rollicking ragtime stomp, reminiscent of vintage Cockney Rebel or early Suede. The instantly singable likes of “Berlin” and “Lady of the Ark” are peopled by “girls and ghosts” from Craft’s hometown of Shreveport each depicted with a mix of empathy, humour and occasional savagery. And behind these tragicomic nightlife tales is a top-notch songwriter who has been fired by the sting of romantic betrayal.” [Dolls of Highland] - The Guardian
“Paired with his knack for great melodies, it demonstrates Craft’s emotional power as a songwriter.” [“Pentecost”] - NPR
“Craft, who grew up in Louisiana but now lives in Portland, brings an authentic southern blues sensibility to glam and folk rock but what makes Dolls one of the best albums of the year is his ability to transform his influences into a sound that’s all his own.” [Dolls of Highland] - Huffington Post
“…The 27-year-old’s debut album, Dolls of Highland, earned almost exclusively positive reviews, following a simple formula: Bob Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde crossed with David Bowie’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Despite the transparent approach, he produced not a familiar sound but rather a cryptic sort of glam Americana that defies expectation…” - Village Voice
“…Craft’s music is so full of its own weird singularity that he’s on to something far beyond idol worship. ” - Billboard
Craft displays the full prowess of his vocal range, hitting high notes that hark back to glam rock vocals of the ’70s” - American Songwriter
Wolf Parade just announced 2018 dates for the western U.S. and Canada in support of Cry Cry Cry, their forthcoming album. The newly added dates span January 12th in Vancouver at The Commodore Ballroom and run through January 24th in Phoenix at The Van Buren, and will include stops in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Berkeley, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and San Diego. Barsuk Records act Charly Bliss, who are supporting the October 13th-27th shows (select dates), will now also act as direct support, January 12th-24th (select dates).
Tickets on sale to general public Friday, September 8th at 10am (local time), and fan pre-sale starts here tomorrow September 6th at 10am (also local time).
Preceding these headlining shows, Wolf Parade will also act as direct support for Arcade Fire, September 5th through September 28th.
Wolf Parade Tour Dates
Sep. 05 - Quebec City, QC - Videotron Center* Sep. 06 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre* Sep. 08 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Sep. 09 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Center* Sep. 21 - Duluth, GA - Infinite Energy Arena* Sep. 22 - Tampa, FL - USF Sun Dome* Sep. 23 - Coral Gables, FL - Watsco Center* Sep. 24 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine, FL Amphitheatre* Sep. 26 - New Orleans, LA - UNO Lakefront Arena* Sep. 27 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center* Sep. 28 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center* Oct. 12 - Guelph, ON - Peter Clark Hall Oct. 13 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre** Oct. 15 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom** Oct. 16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues Oct. 19 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer** Oct. 20 - Boston, MA - Royale** Oct. 21 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Steel Oct. 22 - Washington, DC - Black Cat** Oct. 24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall Oct. 25 - South Saginaw, MI - The Crofoot Ballroom Oct. 26 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall** Oct. 27 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue** Nov. 15 - Amsterdam, NL - Melkweg Nov. 17- Paris, FR - Petit Bain Nov. 18 - Bristol, UK - Thekla Nov. 20 - Dublin, UK - Button Factory Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK - Gorilla Nov. 22 - London, UK - O2 Forum Nov. 24 - Brussels, BE - Botanique (Orangerie) Nov. 25 - Nancy, FR - L’ autre Canal Nov. 26 - Basel, CH - Kaserne Nov. 27 - Munich, DE - Hansa 39 Nov. 29 - Berlin, DE - Bi Nuu Nov. 30 - Hamburg, DE - Gruenspan Dec. 01 - Copenhagen, DK - Loppen Dec. 02 - Stockholm, SE - Strand
2018 Jan. 12 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom ** Jan. 13 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market ** Jan. 14 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom ** Jan. 16 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore ** Jan. 17 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre ** Jan. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre Jan. 21 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory ** Jan. 23 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park ** Jan. 24 - Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren **
*w/ Arcade Fire ** w/ Charly Bliss
Early last week (August 29th), Wolf Parade released “You’re Dreaming,” a second offering and politically-charged standout from Cry Cry Cry [listen here]. “You’re Dreaming” is urgent power pop with lyrics inspired by the shock and confusion following the 2016 election (“All these scenes of shattered glass / All your systems in collapse”). Irreverent new animations from returning collaborator and visual artist Scorpion Dagger (“Valley Boy”) accompany the track.
Wolf Parade’s Cry Cry Cry will be available from Sub Pop on Friday, October 6th, 2017 and is now up for pre-order on CD / 2xLP / DL / CS worldwide from Sub Pop, and in Canada from Universal Records via Wolf Parade’s webstore right here. LP pre-orders through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers in the U.S. will receive the limited loser edition on creme colored vinyl (while supplies last), and a new t-shirt design is also available for your bundling pleasure.
