King Tuff is embarking on a world tour beginning August 12th at the Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall, England. The first leg of dates takes King Tuff through Europe, with shows in Manchester, London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, and more. He will then begin a 21-date US tour that includes 17 dates supporting labelmate Father John Misty. The US shows begin September 12th in Las Vegas, NV and end October 13th in Lexington, KY. See below for a full list of dates.
To celebrate the impending shows, King Tuff (aka Kyle Thomas) asked longtime friend Merrill Garbus (Tune-Yards) to remix his single “Psycho Star,” the psychedelic, day-glo pop jammer off King Tuff’s 2018 release, The Other.
When asked about the remix, Thomas said: “So excited to share this Tune Yards remix of ‘Psycho Star.’ Merrill Garbus is one of my oldest and dearest friends, and together with beautiful bass babe Nate Brenner they have truly brought my song into the chaos dimension, a place that turns you inside out and makes your guts dance like breaking glass. The last time Merrill and I collaborated was almost 15 years ago in our reggae band Baked Earth. So happy to be reunited in the dub zone with her here again!”
Aug. 12 - Newquay, UK - Boardmasters Festival Aug. 13 - Manchester, UK - Night People * Aug. 14 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast * Aug. 16 - London, UK - Moth Club * Aug. 17 - Brecon Beacons (Wales) , UK - Greenman Festival Aug. 18 - Hasselt, Belgium - Pukkelpop Aug. 19 - Saint Malo, FR - La Route De Rock Aug. 21 - Paris, FR - Point Ephemere * Aug. 22 - Zurich, CH - Zurich Open Air Aug. 23 - Berlin, DE - KANTINE AM BERGHAIN * Aug. 24 - Amsterdam, NL - Sugar Factory * Aug. 28 - Petaluma, CA - Lagunitas Brewing Company(@Lagunas Amphitheater) Sep. 12 - Las Vegas, NV - Bunkhouse Saloon Sep. 15 - Fort Collins, CO - Hodi’s Half Note Sep. 17 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room Sep. 18 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre $ Sep. 20 - Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater $ Sep. 21 - Indianapolis, IN - MacAllister Amphitheater @ Garfield Park $ Sep. 22 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theatre $ Sep. 23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Smiling Moose Sep. 25 - Charlottesville, VA - Sprint Pavilion $ Sep. 26 - Charlotte, NC - Fillmore Charlotte $ Sep. 28 - Miami, FL - Fillmore Miami $ Sep. 29 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live $ Oct. 01 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre $ Oct. 02 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre $ Oct. 03 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City $ Oct. 05 - Mobile, Alabama - The Merry Widow Oct. 06 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theater $ Oct. 09 - Knoxville, TN The Mill & Mine $ Oct. 10 - Oxford, MS - Lyric Theater $ Oct. 12 - Greenville, SC - Fall for Greenville Oct. 13 - Lexington, KY - Burl $
$ w/ Father John Misty * w/ SASAMI
What people are saying about “Psycho Star” “…strutting, synth-heavy jam” - Stereogum
“‘Psycho Star’ serves as a pitch-perfect demonstration of the album’s mission statement. The soaring, psychedelic cut rides along a funky strain of percussion that’s joined by bright, spacey synths, wah-wahs, and wide-eyed lyrics about the wonders of ‘this strange little star.’” [Psycho Star] - Consequence of Sound
Herewith, details on Sub Pop’s elaborate plans to celebrate the TRUE most wonderful time of the year: Record Store Day 2018.
As the main course, we’re putting out Thomas Andrew Doyle’s (aka TAD) limited-edition Incineration Ceremony LP. And! Equally delightful, though more challenging to flip on eBay, a bunch of our artists are performing (King Tuff and Yuno), or doing DJ sets (Steve Turner of Mudhoney, John Reis & Gar Wood of Hot Snakes, and Colleen Green) in actual record stores! And all of this will be available or happen on Saturday, April 21st at participating retailers.
Please find info on Thomas Andrew Doyle and a schedule of performances and DJ sets below.
Thomas Andrew Doyle’s / Incineration Ceremony LP:
Incineration Ceremony is the new work by Thomas Andrew Doyle (TAD, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Hog Molly) and is a return to roots of sorts. After spending his formative years in music playing in jazz clubs while attending school studying classical and jazz music at Boise State University, Doyle comes forth with a symphonic take on what is going on in his head. Spawned from the dark and dreary recesses of Doyle’s psyche comes an immense sound of textures, rhythms and material suitable for film and stand-alone listening, disquieting all who are within earshot. People who are familiar with his music should expect the unexpected. Doyle’s entry into the world of symphonic composition is no novice beginner’s attempt. Incineration Ceremony is a musical journeyman’s expression that is genuine, heartfelt, honest, uncompromising, and authoritative.
Incineration Ceremony is limited to 1,500 copies worldwide, and comes housed in a single-LP jacket with custom dust sleeve and grey/black vinyl.
Incineration Ceremony Tracklist:
1. Silent Incineration
2. Bio-Illogical Functions
3. Meditations in Null
4. Desire
5. Nurtured in Grief
6. The Only Thing You Truly Own Is Nothing
7. Prognati ignis ignis
8. Lost in Abyssmal Waters*
9. Born into Sorrow*
10. Asleep in Arrythmia*
*Bonus tracks included as digital download
DJ Sets and In-Store Performances (from early to later):
Steve Turner (Mudhoney) / Jackpot Records DJ set (Portland, 10 am): 3574 SE Hawthorne Blvd, Portland, OR 97214
Colleen Green / Amoeba DJ set (Hollywood, noon): 6400 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028
John Reis (of Hot Snakes) / Vinyl Junkies DJ set (San Diego, 3pm): 2235 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
King Tuff/ Fingerprints In-store performance (Long Beach, 6pm): 420 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90802.
Gar Wood (of Hot Snakes + Beehive & the Barracudas) w/ Tracy Wooley (Beehive & the Barracudas) / Vinyl Junkies DJ set (San Diego, California, 7pm): 2235 Fern St, San Diego, CA 92104
About Record Store Day
Record Store Day was conceived in 2007 at a gathering of independent record store owners and employees as a way to celebrate and spread the word about the unique culture surrounding nearly 1400 independently owned record stores in the US and thousands of similar stores internationally. The first Record Store Day took place on April 19, 2008. Today there are Record Store Day participating stores on every continent except Antarctica (read more here).
Today, King Tuff has shared ”Thru The Cracks,” the latest single from his forthcoming (and highly anticipated) new album, The Other. “Thru the Cracks” is a powerful reflection on losing a friend to suicide and finding their spirit throughout the beautiful moments of life. The song features guest vocals by Jenny Lewis, backing vocals by Greta Morgan (Springtime Carnivore), and drums by Charles Moothart (Mikal Cronin, Ty Segall, Fuzz). A more soulful offering than the groove-based singles that have come before it, “Thru the Cracks” is another shining example of the multi-faceted artistic direction that Kyle Thomas has taken as King Tuff.
[Photo Credit: Olivia Bee]
Of the song, Thomas says: “About two years ago I lost a good friend to suicide. He loved the Beatles, Nirvana, Burroughs, bumming smokes, stealing his parents records and selling em to me… he was a complex character, a sweetheart with poor social skills, a musical genius with no outlet. He was pretty damn misunderstood in this world and struggled for a long, long time.
I had this song laying around for 7 years or so, but sadly it wasn’t until he was gone that it came into focus and I realized what it was all about. It’s one of my favorites I’ve ever written, and one of the truest. And it all comes back again to this thing, the Other. Maybe death is just a passageway to something else. Maybe in death we finally, once and for all, join the Other. I dunno, but I think Jeremiah is probably hanging out on the metaphysical stoop right now with none other than the Other itself.
Wherever you are bud, I’m singing to you”
The Other is available for pre-order now and is due out April 13th.
Thomas self-produced The Other and brought in Shawn Everett (War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes) to assist with the mixing process.No less hooky than previous records, the new songs ditch the goofy rock-and-roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favor of expansive arrangements, a diversity of instrumentation, and lyrics that straddle the fence between painful ruminations and reconnecting with that part of yourself that feels childlike and creative and not corroded by cynicism. The record features contributions from Ty Segall (drums), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Greta Morgan (vocals), and Mikal Cronin (saxophone).
Thomas views the entire experience of the record as a kind of psychic reset. “I let the songs lead me where they wanted to go, instead of trying to push them into a certain zone. King Tuff was always just supposed to be me. When I started doing this as a teenager, it was whatever I wanted it to be. King Tuff was never supposed to be just one thing. It was supposed to be everything.”
King Tuff Tour Dates + Ticket Links
King Tuff has also announced a North American tour beginning May 3rd in San Diego. Cut Worms will open the shows, and all tickets on now. Visit www.kingtuff.life for more updates.
5/3 - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah *
5/4 - Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
5/5 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf *
5/7 - Houston, TX @ Rockefeller Hall *
5/8 - Austin, TX 2 Barracuda (outside) *
5/9 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
5/11 - New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks *
5/12 - Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
5/13 - Nashville TN @ The Basement East *
5/14 - Lexington, KY @ The Burl *
5/16 - Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel *
5/18 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg *
5/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church *
Today, King Tuff has shared another new song off his forthcoming album, The Other [pre-order here], out April 13th via Sub Pop Records. “Raindrop Blue,” oozing with soulful bass lines and pulsating saxophone melodies, continues Kyle Thomas’s new artistic vision as King Tuff. You’re listening to the song here now via the Emmanuelle Pickett-directed visuals above. Pre-order for the album is available now.
Speaking about “Raindrop Blue,” Thomas lays out its relevance to the greater story of the album and its relationship to the previously-released song ”The Other”:
“…I took the hand of the Other…you fell onto my fingers like velvet to the touch…
Is Raindrop Blue the lost forgotten lover? Is she the Other? Is she the Blue Subaru?
Funny story about that Blue Subaru…
I wrote “The Other” in October 2016. At the time it was a fictional story about losing myself and the quest to find the creative spirit again. I imagined myself driving around in a 1982 blue Subaru Brat, which has been my dream car ever since I was a little kid. I would see them driving around my hometown, Brattleboro, Vermont, and I thought the name Brat had something to do with the town itself. It always seemed like the unicorn of cars; you’d only catch a glimpse of one when you weren’t looking. So I was driving this car around in my song cuz you can do whatever you want inside a song.
A year and a half later and the album was done. I sent it to my good friend Em so she could take a listen. She’s been in school studying dreams and alchemy, and we talked about the dark side of the moon, the flip side of the mirror, the unknowable Other and things in the lyrics which were oddly in line with her studies. She’s always had the most poetically surreal dreams as long as I’ve known her, full of symbols and strange beauty, like she’s tapped into some kinda psychic conduit. She was in Vermont but her dreams had been telling her to go to New Mexico. She needed transportation for when she got there, so she was hunting around on Craigslist to find some dusty old high-desert gem she could zoom around in. The first car that popped up: “1982 Blue Subaru Brat in Albuquerque.” The exact car from my song. She sent me the ad. I immediately booked a flight out there, bought the car, and drove her back to LA in a blaze of romantic glory.
The lyrics in the song had somehow come true.
It felt like whatever this mysterious “Other” was, it seemed like maybe it was on my side. Helping me along. As long as I had faith in it.
So..is Raindrop Blue the Other? or the Subaru? Probably both and probably neither. But one thing is for certain: I love to dance.”
Thomas self-produced the record and brought in Shawn Everett (War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes) to assist with the mixing process.No less hooky than previous records, the new songs ditch the goofy rock-and-roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favor of expansive arrangements, a diversity of instrumentation, and lyrics that straddle the fence between painful ruminations and reconnecting with that part of yourself that feels childlike and creative and not corroded by cynicism. The record features contributions from Ty Segall (drums), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Greta Morgan (vocals), and Mikal Cronin (saxophone).
Thomas views the entire experience of the record as a kind of psychic reset. “I let the songs lead me where they wanted to go, instead of trying to push them into a certain zone. King Tuff was always just supposed to be me. When I started doing this as a teenager, it was whatever I wanted it to be. King Tuff was never supposed to be just one thing. It was supposed to be everything.”
King Tuff Tour Dates + Ticket Links
On top of all this good news, King Tuff has also announced a North American tour beginning May 3rd in San Diego. Cut Worms will open the shows, and all tickets go on sale this Friday, February 9th. Visit www.kingtuff.life for more updates.
King Tuff on tour:
May 3 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah *
May 4 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
May 5 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf *
May 7 - Houston, TX - Rockefeller Hall *
May 8 - Austin, TX - Barracuda (outside) *
May 9 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada *
May 11 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *
May 12 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
May 13 - Nashville TN - The Basement East *
May 14 - Lexington, KY - The Burl *
May 16 - Washington DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *
May 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
May 19 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
Last week, Kyle Thomas - aka King Tuff - released his first new song in four years, titled “The Other,” which NPR called a “meditative deliberation and mystic reflection.” Today, he’s excited to share that the song will be also be the lead track on his new album of the same name. The Other will be out on Sub Pop Records this April 13th, and is available for pre-order HERE NOW.
Today you can also hear the official first single from the album, “Psycho Star.” It is a prime representation of King Tuff’s soulful and cosmic new direction. You’re now listen to the song via the Cameron Dutra directed visuals above.
Thomas self-produced the record and brought in Shawn Everett (War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes) to assist with the mixing process. No less hooky than previous records, the new songs ditch the goofy rock-and-roll bacchanalia narratives of earlier records in favor of expansive arrangements, a diversity of instrumentation, and lyrics that straddle the fence between painful ruminations and reconnecting with that part of yourself that feels childlike and creative and not corroded by cynicism. The record features contributions from Ty Segall (drums), Jenny Lewis (vocals), Greta Morgan (vocals), and Mikal Cronin (saxophone).
Thomas views the entire experience of the record as a kind of psychic reset. “I let the songs lead me where they wanted to go, instead of trying to push them into a certain zone. King Tuff was always just supposed to be me. When I started doing this as a teenager, it was whatever I wanted it to be. King Tuff was never supposed to be just one thing. It was supposed to be everything.”
The Other tracklisting:
The Other
Raindrop Blue
Thru The Cracks
Psycho Star
Infinite Mile
Birds of Paradise
Circuits in the Sand
Ultraviolet
Neverending Sunshine
No Man’s Land
King Tuff on Tour
On top of all this good news, King Tuff has also announced a North American tour beginning May 3rd in San Diego. Cut Worms will open the shows, and all tickets go on sale this Friday, February 9th. Visit www.kingtuff.life for more updates.
May 3 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah *
May 4 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar *
May 5 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf *
May 7 - Houston, TX - Rockefeller Hall *
May 8 - Austin, TX - Barracuda (outside) *
May 9 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada *
May 11 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks *
May 12 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
May 13 - Nashville TN - The Basement East *
May 14 - Lexington, KY - The Burl *
May 16 - Washington DC - Rock & Roll Hotel *
May 18 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *
May 19 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
Today, the incomparable King Tuff has released “The Other,” his first new song in 4 years. Proof is right here in the form of a musical video.
You can (and should also) listen to “The Other” via Apple Music and/or Spotify.
“It’s a song about hitting rock bottom. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do anymore, but I still had this urge-this feeling-like there was this possibility of something else I could be doing… and then I just followed that possibility. To me, that’s what songwriting, and art in general, is about. You’re chasing something, there is something out there calling to you and you’re trying to get at it. ‘The Other’ is basically where songs come from. It’s the hidden world. It’s the mystery. It’s the invisible hand that guides you whenever you make something. It’s the thing I had to rediscover-the sort of voice I had to follow-to bring me back to making music again in a way that felt true and good.”
Of the Cameron Dutra-directed video, Kyle Thomas says “it is like the song itself - representing the uphill climb of creativity.”
[Photo Credit: Olivia Bee]
In case you haven’t yet, now would be the perfect time to follow King Tuff everywhere in the known interverse on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.
