Friday, September 18, 2015

Five Eight reissues 1994’s “Weirdo” as originally intended, New film documenting previous “record company meddling” streaming now.

Athens-based foursome announces tour dates to celebrate, Releases personal new song “The Flood” to honor New Orleans, Katrina victims.

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Five Eight (L-R): Dan Horowitz, Mike Mantione, Patrick Ferguson, Sean Dunn. Photo credit: Courtney McDermott.

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Hear the remixed, remastered version of “Behead Myself” from the Weirdo reissue via Brooklyn Vegan or at the links below!





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Watch the documentary “Weirdo Reborn” about how Weirdo was originally “sonically damaged by record company meddling” here.

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In 1994, Athens, GA-based band Five Eight released Weirdo, the album that should have been a breakthrough for the relentlessly hard working and touring band that formed in the late 80s.  Twenty one years later, Weirdo gets the deluxe re-release treatment courtesy of Austin-based label Chicken Ranch Records.  The Weirdo reissue, remixed from the master tapes by original producer David Barbe (Sugar), remastered by Jim Wilson, and featuring new artwork along with five unreleased bonus tracks, is now available as a 180 gram 2XLP and digital download.

A short documentary film “Weirdo Reborn” by filmmaker Marc Pilvinsky has also been released to coincide with the reissue of Weirdo.  The film documents what is described as the “record company meddling” that took the album from the band’s original intentions.

“Hardly anyone knows the tortured story of why Weirdo didn’t come out sonically the way the band and producer David Barbe wanted,” Pilvinsky comments.  “But this documentary lays it all out on the line. It’s been an honor to work with these guys, telling this amazing story."

Barbe also comments on how he has returned Weirdo to the way it was first envisioned, saying, “When I turned in the finished mixes to the A&R man, he listened, called me and said, ‘You have made a great record.’ His opinion would change.  I believed that the hyped, over-processed records of the early 90’s were going to sound hopelessly dated in time. He wanted Five Eight to give him his own Nevermind, and this was not it.”

Fans of Five Eight can hear songs from Weirdo live as the band plays a pair of date in September, October, and November.  See below for details.  Concertgoers may also be treated to a new song “The Flood,” that Five Eight recently issued on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  As the band’s Mike Mantione explains, the song has personal resonance for Five Eight.

“At the time that Hurricane Katrina hit, I was trying to find Sean Dunn to ask him rejoin the band. The Dunn family was from New Orleans, and Five Eight was always deeply linked to the city.  When I finally located Sean, he told me that he still hadn't found his brother. It was crushing to say the least.”

Mantione continues, “Fast forward to today and Sean and I are both sober, and his brother, whom was eventually located, also got sober and has remarried and started anew. Sean and I write together, and one particularly dark song he brought not long ago really moved me. I asked him what it was about, and he says it’s called ‘The Flood.’ I instantly remembered thinking back about how Sean and his brother were both likely dead, if not from the storm then from their addictions, and I turned to Sean and said, ‘Wow you really want to write about Katrina?”

 Five Eight is now releasing the track in its present and rawest form, as a tribute to the great city of New Orleans, as its citizens continue to remember their loss.  The reissue of Weirdo by Five Eight is available now via Chicken Ranch Records here.  Members of Five Eight are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Five Eight Live

09/18 Atlanta, GA @ Smith’s Olde Bar
09/19 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge
10/16 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
10/17 St. Louis, MO @ The Demo
11/20 Augusta, GA @ Soul Bar
11/21 Valdosta, GA @ Ashley Street Station

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Five Eight honors New Orleans and Katrina victims with personal new song, The Flood.



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Five Eight
Weirdo
(Chicken Ranch Records)
Out Now
  

Track Listing:

01. Mystery James
02. Karaoke
03. Behead Myself (STREAM | DOWNLOAD | MP3)
04. Fall Asleep
05. What They Did
06. You Never Look In My Eyes
07. Stars
08. Tense It Up
09. Hurt You
10. Weirdo
11. Shouldn’t Be Here
12. Drummer Divorce (Bonus Track)
13. Nowhere In A Circle (Bonus Track)
14. Strings (Bonus Track)
15. The Only One (Bonus Track)
16. Ghost In This Town (Bonus Track)

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Five Eight Links


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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion



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