Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Shondes launch Chanukah and onward tour, debut album compared to Sleater-Kinney, Patti Smith and Rasputina to follow.

“Ready for an indie break out....radical politics, inspired riffs, textured harmonies and pure sex appeal“ – Curve Magazine

“Seamlessly fusing art and politics” – Punk Planet

“Hard-driving, politically savvy rock ‘n roll” – Flavorpill

“A powerful new sound” – Heeb Magazine

The Shondes, a Brooklyn, NY quartet taking its name from the Yiddish word for “shame” or “disgrace” has launched a winter tour to preface the release of its debut album, The Red Sea produced by Tony Maimone (Pere Ubu, They Might Be Giants, Book Of Knots) in early 2008. The Shondes’ dramatic rock has been compared to Sleater-Kinney, Patti Smith and Rasputina, but audiences tend to marvel at the band’s urgent, genre-breaching live sound. The Shondes -- Temim Fruchter (drums/vocals), Louisa Solomon (bass/vocals), Ian Brannigan (guitar) and Elijah Oberman (violin/vocals) -- quickly gained popularity in its native city thanks to its complex melodic song structures combined with rich, intertwined vocals.

The Shondes’ songwriting fuses the various musical traditions of feminist punk, classical, Jewish and queercore, while the band’s vocal melodies move effortlessly from anthemic to haunting -- textured by the distinct qualities of each of their voices. The result is a unique sound that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. The high energy of its live shows bring audiences along for the ride, with audience members often singing along and swaying to the punchy rhythms and soaring melodies.

From its formation, The Shondes has maintained a rigorous tour schedule including two national tours, a Midwest mini-tour, regular east coast dates, and festivals such as North by Northeast and Homo A Go Go. The group has shared the stage with indie luminaries Electrelane, Erase Errata, Amy Ray, Mecca Normal, Joe Lally of Fugazi and Lesbians On Ecstasy, among others. The band also organizes events, often in partnership with local activist organizations, such as the Jews Against The Occupation Chanukah Ball and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project’s Valentine’s Day Party. The Shondes’ debut album, The Red Sea will be released on January 8, 2008, following its nationwide winter tour.

The Shondes Live:
11/28 Ann Arbor, MI TC’s Speakeasy
11/30 Bloomington, IN Rhino’s
12/01 Madison, WI The Annex
12/02 St. Paul, MN Big V’s
12/05 Seattle, WA The Crocodile Café
12/07 Olympia, WA Le Voyeur
12/08 Portland, OR Mississippi Pizza
12/12 San Francisco, CA Annie’s Social Club
12/14 Santa Barbara, CA TBA
12/15 San Diego, CA TBA
12/16 Los Angeles, CA Echo Curio Gallery
12/19 St. Louis, MO The Bluebird
12/22 Louisville, KY The Rudyard Kipling
12/23 Chicago, IL Schubas

The Red Sea Album Tracklisting:
Release Date: January 8th, 2008
Stream The Album HERE

01. Don’t Look Down
02. Your Monster
03. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (MP3)
04. Winter
05. Let’s Go
06. I Watched the Temple Fall
07. At the Water
08. What Love Is
09. The Mother and the Colony
10. Don’t Whisper
11. The Start of Everything

Tools and Hi-Res Photos:
www.fanaticpromotion.com/current/shondes_red.html

On The Web:
www.shondes.com
www.myspace.com/theshondes

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

80’s Psychedelic Death Rock group Soul Merchants reissues legendary discography.

Soul Merchants’ music is best described as the band dubbed it 20 years ago: psychedelic death rock. On the surface, one could consider the quartet Denver’s version of Sisters of Mercy, but even in the ‘80s these guys were too old to be the new hip goth act and their ‘60s psych and ‘70s glam influences shined brightly over the darkness. Too punk for the goths and too goth for the punks, Soul Merchants never fit well into the scene yet still collected a devoted fan-base during its brief 1985-’87 tenure. After an exhausting two years with over a hundred songs recorded, Soul Merchants threw in the towel and performed its final show at the inaugural South By Southwest music festival in Austin, TX.

This double disc set (a 15-track sampler has been issued to the media) contains 80 minutes of music on each disc, compiling the best material from the group’s four-track recording sessions. The songs come from Soul Merchants’ cassette releases only, as the Gates of Heaven LP will likely be reissued as its own entity in the future. Each song was remixed and remastered from the original tapes at Absinthe Studio by former Soul Merchant Bob Ferbrache.

Ferbrache also performed in the experimental band Human Head Transplant simultaneously with Soul Merchants. He subsequently went on to create most music in Blood Axis (a collaboration with Lords of Chaos author Michael Moynihan), joined 16 Horsepower and Tarantella, and filled in for Slim Cessna’s Auto Club. However, he is perhaps best known for his production work for NON, Death In June, Berlin, Bow Wow Wow, and, in Soul Merchant days, The Fluid, Warlock Pinchers and Bum Kon (whose highly-collectible early recordings will also be reissued in early 2008 on Smooch Records.)

1985-1987 Full Album Tracklisting:
Release Date: October 23rd, 2007
Stream The Sampler Disc HERE

Disc One:
01. Crown of Glory
02. Joanna
03. It Hurts
04. Mary Had
05. Lady Godiva’s Diary
06. Save My Soul
07. Mental Clay
08. Anthem
09. Carelessly a Boy
10. Marianne
11. Just One More Favor
12. When I Smile
13. Valentine’s Day
14. Roten Rose
15. The Meek
16. Patrick McCarren
17. Still Waters
18. In the Light
19. Ceremony
20. Atomic Reign

Disc Two:
01. Blue Light
02. Beating Heart
03. Armoured Factions
04. Out of the Shadows
05. The Sea
06. Cold Dark Bed
07. Love
08. Web of Illusion
09. Within Josephine
10. Lucifer’s Gunn
11. Joshua’s Song
12. Nowhere Land
13. I Regret
14. Attics
15. Black Rain
16. Speedboat
17. Say It Isn’t So
18. Cold
19. Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die
20. On Cloudy Days

Tools and Hi-Res Photos:
www.fanaticpromotion.com/current/soul_1985.html

On The Web:
www.myspace.com/soulmerchants85
www.smoochrecords.com
www.myspace.com/smoochrecords

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Zookeeper receives much praise for Becoming All Things, and announces additional tour dates in support of critically acclaimed debut album.

“On the celebratory ‘Trumpets’ (MP3) and the down-home jam ‘Ballad Of My Friends,’ (MP3) it sounds like the extended family is genuinely enjoying themselves.” – CMJ

“The mournful piano and organ mesh perfectly with acoustic guitars on the hushed hymn “On High,” while the stomping, trumpet-festooned ‘Ballad Of My Friends’ screams pure joy. Just Like in his former bands, Simpson’s wobbly voice always rings true, conveying that his heart is on his sleeve.” – Alternative Press

“It wouldn’t be too far off to call this classic rock done in the 21st Century, with the barnyard drums and Heartland chords… A promising restart for a gifted songwriter, definitely hints at great things to come.” – Lollipop.com

Austin-based band Zookeeper, led by Chris Simpson – the former songwriter and front man for the groundbreaking original-era emo bands Mineral and The Gloria Record – has just announced additional tour dates to round out 2007. See below for a complete itinerary.

This year has been a highly productive one for the group, bouncing in and out of the Top 10 for months as one of the most blogged about bands on the internet according to aggregator elbo.ws. The praise comes on the heels of Zookeeper’s self-titled EP and recently released debut album Becoming All Things. Alternative Press recently featured the band as well, and previous tours with Umbrellas and The Good Life have been enthusiastically received. Those unable to catch the band’s live show on this round of dates can view the group in action HERE and stream Becoming All Things HERE.

More about Zookeeper:
Sometimes, taking a break can be a very good thing. Chris Simpson, former songwriter and front man for two influential late ‘90s bands, knows a few things about breaking up. After disbanding post-punk emo progenitor Mineral just after the band signed to a major, and taking an indefinite hiatus from shoegazer follow-up The Gloria Record midway through recording a fourth record, he virtually disappeared from the music scene for two years.

It is this quiet period of Simpson’s career that has proven his most prolific to date. It allowed him time to step back, regroup, and remember what he loved about music in the first place - penning songs and performing acoustically, just as he had done as a teenager in his hometown of Denver. He bought and became enchanted with a piano. He dusted off record albums he hadn’t listened to in a decade. He found himself, for the first time in years, brimming with ideas and melodies.

Newly inspired, he resumed songwriting, laying the groundwork for a fresh sound that would grow organically out of an informal gathering of new and old friends making music they loved. Eventually the group packed into an Austin studio to record live: loose, impromptu songs replete with shaking tambourines, exuberant horns, honky-tonk keys, and, at alternating turns, lyrical depth and whimsy. They recorded, in part or whole, spanning several months and several studios, over 40 songs. Simpson had fallen in love with music again, simply by stepping away from it.

The new body of work – the recently released Zookeeper EP and this scintillating debut LP, Becoming All Things (Belle City Pop!) – boasts a supporting cast of musicians comprised of former Mineral and Gloria Record members and new collaborators (indie-folk artist Alex Dupree, Sad Accordions, and Zykos), and brings Simpson back to his roots. It is this self-possession gained from solitude, this tipping of the hat to where he’s been while moving assuredly forward, that gives Simpson’s latest offering its buoyant, timeless appeal.

“I’m just thrilled to have another entry in Simpson’s canon. He’s been gone too long and this is a welcome return from one of my favorite songwriters.” – Liepaper.com

“…some of the jangliest, loose-limbed pop music of the year so far. In just one listen, you’ll get a taste for his spirit and passion about music.” – Quick Before It Melts

Zookeeper Live:
11/24 Houston, TX The Proletariat
11/26 Atlanta, GA The Earl
11/27 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
11/28 Washington, DC Red and Black Bar
11/29 New York, NY Piano’s
12/05 Chicago, IL The Beat Kitchen
12/06 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
12/07 Bloomington, IN Bear’s Place

Becoming All Things Tracklisting:
Release Date: November 6th, 2007
Stream The Album HERE

01. Snow In Berlin (MP3)
02. On Madison Way
03. Trumpets (MP3)
04. Ballad of My Friends (MP3)
05. Boy and The Street Choir
06. Al Kooper’s Party Horn
07. Everyone’s A DJ (MP3)
08. On High
09. Becoming All Things (MP3)
10. Born With Things To Do

Tools & Hi-Res Photos:
www.fanaticpromotion.com/current/zookeeper_becoming.html

On The Web:
www.zookeepersworld.com
www.myspace.com/zookeepersworld
www.bellecitypop.com
www.myspace.com/bellecitypop
www.fanaticpromotion.com/current/zookeeper_becoming.html

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