Calexico and Iron & Wine today announce Years to Burn, their first full–length album together, available June 14th via City Slang in the UK/Europe and Sub Pop in the rest of the world. Now hear lead track entitled “Father Mountain” and see that an extensive North American, European, and UK tour has been announced with more dates to be added in the coming weeks. See all dates below.
Calexico and Iron & Wine first made an artistic connection with In the Reins, the 2005 EP that brought Sam Beam, Joey Burns and John Convertino together. The acclaimed collaboration introduced both acts to wider audiences and broadened Beam’s artistic horizons, but it was the shared experience of touring together in the tradition of Bob Dylan’s “Rolling Thunder Revue” that cemented the bond. Their metaphorical roads diverged in the years that followed, but they kept in touch and cross-pollinated where they could. Although they often talked about rekindling their collaboration in the studio and on stage, it wasn’t until last year that their schedules aligned.
Years to Burn can’t help but be different from In the Reins. Back then, Calexico entered the studio with a long list of previous collaborations (first in Giant Sand, then backing the likes of Victoria Williams and Richard Buckner) and the knowledge that they loved Sam’s voice and his songs, but wondered if his material was so complete and self-contained that it lacked a way in, so hushed and delicate that it might be overwhelmed. For his part, Beam had been intimidated by their virtuosic playing and their deep comfort in an encyclopedic array of styles. “In my mind, I was a guy who knew three chords and recorded in a closet,” Sam says. “They were playing big stages and were superb musicians.”
Those fears were dispelled quickly. Calexico was bowled over by Beam’s many talents: “The arranging, the writing, his sense of rhythm, the quality of his vocals—and then there’s the experimental side of Sam,” Joey says. “They were the perfect band at the perfect time for me,” Sam adds. “I loved all their different sounds. They’re musical anthropologists, not regurgitating but absorbing what they discover.” Nearly 15 years on, “coming back to the project has to do with acknowledging how much impact the first record had for me in my life.”
Years to Burn was recorded in Nashville with noted producer Matt Ross-Spang over the course of five days at Sound Emporium, a fabled studio founded in the sixties by Cowboy Jack Clement and the site of countless landmark sessions in country and rock over the ensuing decades. It features contributions from veteran Calexico trumpet player Jacob Valenzuela and Paul Niehaus on pedal steel, along with frequent Beam cohorts Rob Burger (Tin Hat Trio) on piano and Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Fiona Apple) on bass.
Years to Burn features ten new original compositions. While Beam wrote all the songs for In the Reins, this recording features contributions from both Beam and Burns as well as from Convertino and those featured on the record. While the two may have taken differing approaches to songwriting, the spirit of collaboration was alive and well in the studio; Sam shared demos ahead of time and was ready for the others to contribute with arrangement ideas and instrumental parts, while Joey spontaneous as ever, came in with concepts and an eagerness to improvise.
“Life is hard. Awesome. And scary as shit. But it can lift you up if you let it,” Sam offers. “These are the things Joey and I write about now. And the title can encapsulate a lot of things. ‘Years to Burn’ could mean you’re cocky, you’ve got it made. Or, our life is ours to burn, to be inspired. Or you’re burned by life, brutalized. It’s an ambiguous title, because life is complicated. Let’s not talk like teenagers about love, desire, pain, ‘cause we’re not teenagers. And that’s not a bad thing.”
“This project had to find the right time,” Joey concludes. “We’re all different people than we were in 2004, and music helps to bridge some of the gaps. For all the things going on in our world and in each of our lives, this connection, this friendship, this love that we have—this album is a vehicle for that bond. It’s a chance to see where we’re at, take stock and be there for our friends.”
Years to Burn is now available for pre-order from Sub Pop (and via City Slang in the UK/Europe). LP pre-orders in North America through megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on green colored vinyl (while supplies last) PLUS - 225 randomly selected pre-orders will receive a special lithograph signed by the artists. For more information on Years to Burn, the full bio is available here.
Years to Burn - Tracklisting
1. What Heaven’s Left
2. Midnight Sun
3. Father Mountain
4. Outside El Paso
5. Follow The Water
6. The Bitter Suite (Pájaro / Evil Eye / Tennessee Train)
7. Years To Burn
8. In Your Own Time
Calexico and Iron & Wine Tour Dates
Jun. 18 - Saxapahaw, NC - River Ballroom
Jul. 19 - Lisbon, PT - Super Bock Super Rock
Jul. 20 - Sat Arlesheim, CH - Stimmen Festival
Jul. 22 - Milano, IT - La Triennale di Milano
Jul. 23 - Gardone Riviera, IT - Anfiteatro del Vittoriale
Jul. 24 - Rome, IT - Villa Ada
Jul. 25 - Florence, IT - Cavea del Nuovo Teatro dell’opera
Jul. 26 - Monoforte D’ Alba, IT - Auditorium Horszowski
Jul. 28 - Vienna, AT - Konzerthaus
Jul. 29 - Palma, ES - Auditorium de Palma de Mallorca
Jul. 31 - Hamburg, DE - Stadtpark
Aug. 02 - Cambridge, UK - Cambridge Folk Festival
Aug. 03 - Leuven, BE - M-idzommer Festival
Aug. 04 - Crozon, FR - Festival Du Bout Du Monde
Aug. 06 - Phoenix, AZ - Orpheum Theatre
Aug. 17 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre
Aug. 21 - Ogden, UT - Twilight Series at Ogden Amphitheater
Aug. 22 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
Aug. 23 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium
Aug. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
Sep. 09 - Sun North Adams, MA - FreshGrass Festival
Weyes Blood directs, stars in and breaks through the fourth wall in her gorgeous new video for “Movies,” a standout from Titanic Rising. The video was directed by and stars Natalie Mering, and like the album cover, includes footage filmed underwater.
Of it, she says, “We are enamored with Movies. Our generation is the most cinematically saturated of all time. Videotapes, DVD’s, streaming… Spielberg…all of it has thrust us into an endless loop of consumption. They provide formative experiences as children, standing larger than life before our fragile adolescent minds. I wanted to take a look into the emotionally manipulative powers of Movies - how have Movies succeeded in telling the myths of our time? How have they failed (miserably)? What is the consequent effect on a society of beings looking for themselves in the myths on the screen? It’s safe to say that they have failed us, but I can’t help it…I love Movies.”
Weyes Blood will release Titanic Rising, her fourth album and Sub Pop records debut, worldwide on CD/LP/DL/CS April 5th, 2019. The album features the lead single “Everyday,” and the previously released “Andromeda,” along with highlights “Something to Believe,” “Wild Time,” and the aforementioned “Movies.” The cover for Titanic Rising was shot in a bedroom submerged fully underwater by photographer Brett Stanley (zero CGI).
Weyes Blood’s previously announced “True Love is Making a Comeback Tour” in support of Titanic Rising runs April 1st-June 13th, 2019.
True Love is Making a Comeback Tour 2019 California Apr. 01 - Fresno, CA - Strummers Apr. 02 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Atrium at The Catalyst Apr. 03 - Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones Apr. 04 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge [Sold Out]
UK/Europe Apr. 22 - Brighton, UK - The Haunt Apr. 23 - Bristol, UK - The Exchange Apr. 24 - Manchester, UK - YES (The Pink Room) Apr. 25 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall Apr. 27 - Berlin, DE - Kantine am Berghain Apr. 28 - Hamburg, DE- Turmzimmer Apr. 29 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso Upstairs Apr. 30 - Dunkerque, FR - 4Ecluses May 02 - Paris, FR - La Maroquinerie May 03 - Orleans, FR - Astrolabe May 04 - Brussels, BE - Le Nuits Botanique (Venue: Rotonde)
North America May 14 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent May 16 - Seattle, WA - The Tractor Tavern May 17 - Vancouver, BC - St. James Hall May 18 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge May 21 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club May 22 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall May 24 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern May 25 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus May 26 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery May 28 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair May 29 - New York, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg May 31 - Washington, DC - U Street Music Hall Jun. 01 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s Jun. 03 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl Jun. 04 - Nashville, TN - The High Watt Jun. 06 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada Jun. 07 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall (upstairs) Jun. 08 - Austin, TX - Antone’s Jun. 10 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow Palace Jun. 11 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf Jun. 12 - Phoenix, AZ - Valley Bar Jun. 13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour
Titanic Rising is available for pre-order from Sub Pop. LP pre-orders in North America through weyesblood.com, megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on maroon colored vinyl (while supplies last). LP preorders of Titanic Rising throughout the UK and Europe from select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on red vinyl (while supplies last). There will also be a new T-shirt design available.
2019 touring schedule April 12th through September 22nd.
The legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band have just released “Kreyol,” a spirited new tune from “A Tuba To Cuba,” the forthcoming soundtrack to the critically acclaimed documentary directed by T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch. The song is available today on all DSPs worldwide from Sub Pop and also YouTube - Spotify - Apple Music.
“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 Cuba” celebrates the triumph of the human spirit expressed through the universal language of music and challenges us to resolve to build bridges, not walls. Beginning today, the film will also be 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’s Ben Jaffe says of “Kreyol,” “Every evening in Havana people gather along the waterfront to socialize. I’ve always been taken by the tempo at which people stroll, like New Orleans, there’s a very particular rhythm to their walk. That rhythm was the inspiration for “Kreyol”. In fact, “Kreyol” is the Cuban spelling of “Creole”. You can feel that same Creole influence in New Orleans, it’s one of our many shared connections with Cuba.”
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Tour Dates
Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s touring schedule for 2019 currently spans April 12th through September 22nd. Headlining and festival highlights include: Cape May, NJ’s Exit Zero Jazz Festival (April 12th); Charleston, NC’s High Water Festival (April 14th); New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (April 27th); Happy Valley, OR’s Pickathon (August 3rd- 4th); SFJAZZ in San Francisco (August 8th-12th); Arrington, VA’s Lockn’ Music Festival (August 24th); Louisville, KY’s Bourbon & Beyond (September 20th); and Franklin, TN’s Pilgrimage Music Festival (September 21st-22nd).
Additionally, Preservation Hall Jazz Band will support Foo Fighters at The Fillmore in New Orleans (May 16th) and Dave Matthews Band at Elkhorn, WI’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre (July 5th-6th). Tickets for these shows are on sale now.
Apr. 12 - Cape May, NJ - Exit Zero Jazz Festival Apr. 14 - Charleston, SC - High Water Festival - Riverfront Park Apr. 27 - New Orleans, LA - New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival May 16 - New Orleans, LA - The Fillmore ^ Jul. 05 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Jul. 06 - Elkhorn, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre* Aug. 03- Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Aug. 04 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon 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. 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 *with Dave Matthews Band ^with Foo Fighters
Now Listen to Haunted Items #1 “Dancing” & “Tunnel”
Frankie Cosmos has announced the release of Haunted Items, a digital-only collection of new stripped-down songs for the piano. Over the next 4 weeks, Sub Pop will share songs from this collection weekly, beginning with the tracks “Dancing” and “Tunnel” which you can listen to today via all digital service providers. See below for a full list of songs.
Frontwoman Greta Kline says of the Haunted Items project: “items themselves are harmless unless they are infused with some kind of energy. These items are haunted by fear, consumerism, commitment, love, loss, the list goes on…I had some of these songs stuck inside me, mostly because I wrote a lot of them for piano and didn’t know how to record them, even as demos. My friend Elia gifted me with 10 hours of recording time with Mark Yoshizumi, and this winter felt like the perfect opportunity to get these out of my system and haunt you with them instead. I have always been afraid of items being haunted, but when you think about it, every item is, right?”
Haunted Items Track and release schedule on DSP’s:
3/13 - Haunted Items #1 “Dancing” “Tunnel”
3/20 - Haunted Items #2 “February” “In The World”
3/27 - Haunted Items #3 “String” “Eternal”
4/3 - Haunted Items #4 “Rings on a Tree” “Allowed” “Today’s Special”
Frankie Cosmos will return to the UK and mainland Europe for a short tour beginning April 1st with a show at EartH in London. The new dates will continue throughout the month with performances in Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Berlin, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, and Bologna. Frankie Cosmos will then return to the U.S. for an appearance at Austin, TX-based radio station KVRX Festival.
Apr. 01 - London, UK- EartH (AKA Hackney Arts Centre) Apr. 03 - Stockholm, SE - Melodybox Apr. 04 - Gothenborg, SE - Pustervik Arp. 05 - Oslo, NO - John Dee Apr. 06 - Aarhus - DK - TAPE Apr. 07 - Copenhagen, DK - Lille Vega Apr. 09 - Berlin, DE - Musik & Frieden Apr. 10 - Heidlberg, DE - Karlstorbahnhof Apr. 12 - Gipuzkoa, ES - Dabadaba, Donostia Apr. 13 - A Coruña, ES - Garufa Club Room Apr. 15 - Lisbon, PT - ZDB Gallery Apr. 16 - Madrid, ES - El Sol Apr. 17 - Barcelona, ES - Razzmatazz Apr. 19 - Bologna, IT - Covo Club May. 11 - Austin, TX- KVRX Fest (w/ Fat Tony, Video Age, Palm and more)
This past October and ten years after the launch of their hit HBO series, musical comedians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement returned to the network for an all-new comedy special. Live in London was taped before a live audience at the Eventim Apollo and features the Conchords performing new songs from the sold-out UK and Ireland edition of “Flight of the Conchords Sing Flight of the Conchords Tour.”
The Live in London album features 7 new songs including the “Iain and Deanna,” “Father and Son,” “Summer of 1353,” “Stana,” “Seagull,” “Back on the Road,” and “Bus Driver.” The album also features performances of fan favorites “Carol Brown,” “Inner City Pressure,” “Bowie,” “Foux du Fafa,” “Mutha’uckas - Hurt Feelings,” “Robots,” and “The Most Beautiful Girl (In The Room)’ (the latter two bonus tracks edited out of the broadcast due to time constraints).
Pictured: Live in London Loser Edition LP (U.S. Version) on “Dragon Tears*” vinyl.
LP purchases of Live in London in North America through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on clear w/blue and yellow high melt vinyl (while supplies last). Additionally, LP purchases of Live in London in Europe and the UK from select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on clear vinyl (also while supplies last).
[Photo Credit: Colin Hutton/HBO]
NPR Music says of Live in London, “Deeply fun and endearing, Live in London provides a showcase for Flight of the Conchords at its members’ most irreverent — a couple of guys content to crack jokes, jam out and share the results with the masses.” Exclaim, in its 8/10 review, offered this, “With hits old and new, and plenty of the charming banter that have endeared Clement and McKenzie to audiences across the world for decades, Live in London is the definitive audio version of the Flight of the Conchords experience.”
*Not dragons were harmed in the procurement of aforementioned dragon tears.
Album release show on May 25th at Babyland with Positive No & Bat Zuppel.
On May 31st, The Gotobeds - Cary, TFP, Eli and Gavin - return to the fray with 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.
The album’s first single, “Calquer the Hound,” features guest performances by Kim Phuc singer Rob Henry, and Evan Richards of The City Buses. (The album has guests on all eleven tracks - see the track list below for the details.) The song has euphony, a sly bridge, plenty of trademark bash, and a spacey outro. It’s a sanguine album opener, more Al Oliver than Starling Marte, to put it in Pittsburgh Pirates terms. Tune in to “Calquer the Hound” here and here (see also Brooklyn Vegan March 6th).
[Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill]
The band has confirmed an album release show in their hometown of Pittsburgh, PA on May 25th at Babyland. Positive No & Bat Zuppel will open. They will also be opening for Mudhoney Oct 17th at Mr. Smalls in Pittsburgh. More dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
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)
About The Gotobeds Debt Begins at 30: Give me a minute or three to extol the virtues of The Gotobeds, the modern rock-and-roll sensation that has always sounded like they love to play. Never maligned by having the world’s weight on their backs, The Gotobeds - Cary, TFP, Eli and Gavin - return to the fray with 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 is not “pub sop” in any way or shape.
Though I never considered The Gotobeds a band that needed assistance from their peers, Debt Begins at 30 features outside contributors on every track. The album’s first single, “Calquer the Hound,” includes local buddy Evan Richards, and Rob Henry of Kim Phuc. “Calquer the Hound” has euphony, a sly bridge, plenty of trademark bash, and a spacey outro. It’s a sanguine album opener, more Al Oliver than Starling Marte.
On “Twin Cities,” the lads tap Tracy Wilson, formerly of Dahlia Seed and currently of Positive NO!, to share the vox, and the result is an exuberant pop song proving The Gotobeds benefit from women ruling the scene. “Twin Cities” is more Dakota Staton than Don Caballero. “Debt Begins at 30,” the title trackular, includes the wizardry of Mike Seamans and legend Bob Weston. It’s a brooding romp with tribal beats and slash-and-burn guitar, more Rocky Bleier than Le’Veon Bell.
Unsurprisingly, The Gotobeds called partners-in-rock-crime Protomartyr a coupla times, with Joe Casey bolstering “Slang Words” and hook-fiend Greg Ahee shredding on “On Loan.” “Slang Words” is a savory wrecking ball with a crunching bite, more of a soft shell crab sandwich from Wholey’s Market than a 4am slop feast at Primanti Brothers. “On Loan” is an anthemic jangle-fest with high-arcing fret work, more Karl Hendricks (rest his soul) than “Weird Paul” Petroskey.
Silkworm guitarist Tim Midyett is tapped on “Parallel,” a grand song that enters a world of whimsy, melodic and uncomplicated, more Jaromir Jagr than Sidney Crosby. The likes of 12XU label boss Gerard Cosloy, Tre Orsi’s Matt Barnhart, the wonderful Victoria Ruiz of Downtown Boys, Pittsburgh wordsmiths Jason Baldinger and Scott MacIntyre, and yours truly strut stuff on other tracks. In my case, I just scream “dross” on “Dross” several times. Good judgment on the part of The Gotobeds to know that’s the best I can do, more Max Moroff than Andrew McCutchen.
Anyways, The Gotobeds have quickly reached the veteran stage, but, based upon Debt Begins at 30, their best days are ahead of them. It’s a pleasure to be associated with such an excellent band.
