Bruce Peninsula announce new split 7″, innaugural U.S. dates and the Australian release of A Mountain Is A Mouth

Bruce Peninsula announce new split 7″, innaugural U.S. dates and the Australian release of A Mountain Is A Mouth

Toronto — 2009 was a banner year for Bruce Peninsula. Their debut full-length, A Mountain Is A Mouth, garnered considerable critical praise (including a nomination for the Polaris Music Prize) and took the band from coast to coast , with stops in British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and everywhere in between. Already this year is looking to top the last, as the band begins 2010 with a flurry of activity.

To kick it all off, Bruce Peninsula have teamed up with Toronto-based quintet Muskox to record a new version of ‘Shanty Song’, transforming one of A Mountain Is A Mouth’s hardest hitting tracks into a lush, heartbreaking ballad interpreted for voice, banjo, cello, harmonium, percussion and Rhodes piano. To be released in mid-March as part of a split 7″ project between the band’s Bruce Trail label and Kingston’s Apple Crisp Records, ‘Shanty Song’ will be backed with a beautiful new collaboration from two of Kingston’s finest, The Gertrudes and PS I Love You, in a limited run of 500 33rpm 7″ singles. Pre-orders are already flying and the pressing is expected to sell out quickly. Direct links to both mp3s, cover art and a recent Bruce Peninsula photo are included below. Feel free to stream either track on your site.

Also in March, Bruce Peninsula will venture into America for the first time, including two New York shows, a stop in North Carolina and an official showcase at SXSW in Austin, TX. A few more unofficial showcases will be announced shortly, but if you’re planning a trip to Austin for the best party of the year, make sure to catch BP at the Paper Bag Records / Chromewaves showcase at 9pm on Thursday, March 18th at Speakeasy. You can find complete tour dates below and can expect many more U.S. appearances to be announced soon.

Last but not least, A Mountain Is A Mouth was recently domestically released in Australia via Sensory Projects & Inertia Distribution. Thanks to Sensory Projects’ unrelenting campaign, Bruce Peninsula has started popping up in heavy rotation on taste-making Australian radio stations like 2SER, RRR and FBI Radio and local music press is starting to take notice. Plans are being hatched to bring Bruce Peninsula to Australian shores before the year is out. Keep an eye on the Sensory Projects’ website for details.

With all that, and with sessions booked to record full-length number two in May, it’s clear that 2010 will be Bruce Peninsula’s year.

Upcoming Bruce Peninsula Dates:
March 11th – Wakefield, QC – Black Sheep Inn
March 12th – New York, NY – Piano’s
March 13th – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
March 15th – Charlotte, NC – Snug Harbor
March 18th – Austin, TX – Speakeasy (Paperbag/Chromewaves SXSW showcase)
March 25th – Toronto, ON – The Garrison
March 26th – London, ON – The Wave
April 23rd – Guelph, ON – Dublin St. United Church
April 24th – Sarnia, ON – Trinity Lounge
May 1st – Galesburg, IL – Knox College

What people have said about Bruce Peninsula:

“One of the most incredible albums – debut or otherwise – I’ve heard in a very long time.” – IHeartMusic.Net

“Every once in a while a band so uniquely powerful comes along, they renew your faith in music. For the lucky few who’ve seen them live already, Toronto’s alt-gospel 11-piece Bruce Peninsula is one. Melding a chorus of voices influenced by ancient field recordings of spiritual blues songs with post-rock musical arrangements, this congregation is a stirring force. Currently perfecting their debut album for a spring release, Bruce Peninsula were born to be believed in.” – Exclaim!

“This is a visceral yet modern take on traditional forms, focusing on the full vocal possibilities of a choir with elemental percussion, and driven by primal rhythms that draw indirect lines to First Nations or African music. The spiritual element is paramount in every note, whether or not there are direct religious references in the lyrics.” – EYE Weekly