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Boston post-punk quartet Junius to release EP collection in October, cut new studio album with producer Kevin Mills

Boston post-punk quartet Junius to release EP collection in October, cut new studio album with producer Kevin Mills. Current tour dates across the U.S. and Canada.

“The most engaging dark rock to come out since Joy Division last graced a stage.” – Disclosure Magazine

“Genius as far as contemporary new wave/cinematic art-rock goes… An epic audio masterpiece.” – The Big Takeover

Boston post-punk / post-rock (let’s call it post-wave) quartet Junius has slowly built up a strong following over the course of a pair of EPs and some very impressive live shows. Soon, the band’s epic, dark sound will spread even further with the October release of a self-titled disc compiling the two previous records on Radar / S.A.F. Records. Junius is currently touring across the U.S. and Canada en route to record its debut full length in September at Henson Recording with Tom Syrowski and Kevin Mills (AFI, Weezer, The Bravery) under the working title The Martyrdom of A Catastrophist. See complete tour dates below.

Boston has long been known as a breeding ground for renowned political dissidents as well as mind-expanding sonic adventurists. A legacy of great progressive labels (like Hydra Head, Tortuga and Big Wheel Recreation) and a harbor full of Earl Grey attest to that. Carrying in that tradition is Junius – at once an enigmatic letter-writing historical footnote (and political critic from the 1700’s) as well as a rainy, Brit-inflected supernova of gigantic guitars, entrancing lights and erudite lyrics founded by drummer Dana Filloon, singer/guitarist Joseph E. Martinez and guitarist Mike Repasch-Nieves.

The New England coast was first illuminated by Junius on Friday, February 13, 2004 at a sold out show at The Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Drawing upon influences as diverse as Failure, Hum, Sunny Day Real Estate and The Cure, Junius electrified the rapt audience with the spellbinding walls of dreamy guitars and alluring lights that have continued to define the band’s signature aesthetic. Together with fellow Bostonians Seneca and Constants, they formed the core of the Radar Recordings collective-a community of self-funded progressive artists founded in 2002 — which filled a void left behind when the aforementioned labels uprooted and expanded to warmer climes.

Shortly after releasing their first EP, the post-wave pioneers began a relentless touring regimen of multiple headlining and co-headlining North American tours to fan the flames of an already relatively blazing press. Of the EP, Disclosure Magazine wrote, “One of the most engaging dark rock albums to come out since Joy Division last graced a stage.” Junius played over 200 shows in 2005 alone, and spent nearly 9 months on the road that year.

The songs which make up Junius’s self-titled album (Radar / S.A.F. Records) were recorded by Will Benoit (of Constants), and mastered by Nick Zampiello (Isis, Converge, Pelican, Cave In.) Hailed as “genius” by The Big Takeover, Junius’ work is borne of experiments in isolation and ascetism, including month-long stints in remote places including a storage facility in Texas, a farmhouse in Vermont, a cabin in Pennsylvania and a small room in the swamps of Louisiana. It’s this austere approach that adds a weighty foundation of authenticity to the members of Junius as credible artists. Themes of forbidden knowledge, supernatural and extra-terrestrial phenomena, and religious mythology permeate singer Joseph E. Martinez’s esoteric lyrics, while the group’s music pushes sonic boundaries.

In addition to the release of the eponymous compilation, 2007 finds Junius as tireless as ever, with a new 7-inch (Radar / Anchorless Records), further touring and plans to begin recording their next album, entitled The Martyrdom of A Catastrophist this Fall. The forthcoming record is based on the life of controversial scholar Immanuel Velikovsky. Martinez, along with illustrator Matt Gauck, will also be releasing an accompanying graphic novel for the record. Junius’ brutal itinerary extends well into 2008, with plans to hit Europe, Japan, as well as more North American dates to solidify their already solid fan base. Appearances on MTV’s On the Rise and scores of “Most Anticipated Album” nominations have all but catapulted Junius to the forefront of the world’s sight line. With this self-titled release, as well as the impending album, the specter of the Junius enigma will loom heavier in the public’s mind than ever before.


Junius Live:

07/24 Burlington, VT 242 Main
07/25 Montreal, QC Zoobizarre
07/27 Toronto, CA Siesta Nouveaux
07/28 Lansing, MI Mac’s Bar
07/31 Denver, CO 2126
08/01 Salt Lake City, UT Liquid Joe’s
08/04 Spokane, WA Prago
08/10 Turlock, CA Mr. Slice Pizza
08/11 Santa Cruz, CA Cafe Pergolesi

Junius Tracklisting:

Stream The Album HERE

01. [Elan Vital]
02. Hiding Knives
03. From The Isle of The Blessed
04. [Elan Fatale]
05. Forcing Out The Silence
06. [The Annunciation]
07. Blood Is Bright
08. A Word Could Kill Her
09. In The Hearts of Titans
10. At The Age of Decay

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OFFICE To Release A Night At The Ritz On September 25

OFFICE
A NIGHT AT THE RITZ
Scratchie/New Line Records
September 25, 2007

AUDIO: The Ritz

Scratchie/New Line Records are thrilled to announce the debut release from one of their newest signings, OFFICE. Due out September 25th, A NIGHT AT THE RITZ is full of the irresistible and sophisticated pop songs that have made this band one of the most popular acts in Chicago over the past year.

Recorded over the Winter and Spring of 2007, A NIGHT AT THE RITZ was produced by frontman Scott Masson, who, along with the band, did the majority of the work on the record at his apartment. Final touches and mixing took place at New York’s Stratosphere Sound.

Over the past year and a half, OFFICE has built an enormous organic buzz at home, through steady gigs in Chicago (including a performance at Lollapalooza ’06) and Masson’s native Detroit, as well as through their two self-released demo albums. Though featured in nearly every publication in Chicago, the band also caught the attention of such national outlets as Billboard, who featured the band in their “Now Hear This” column; Magnet, who reviewed the band’s 2005 self-release, Q&A; NPR, which gave the band a “Song of the Day” feature; and Spin.com, who included OFFICE as one of 32 contenders for the 2007 Artist of the Year.

Born out of a series of conceptual art pieces at the turn of the century, OFFICE is the brainchild of Scott Masson. Masson would fill galleries with cubicle displays, Xereox paper, boxes, pop culture items. As he recalls, “They were all very minimal and blank-looking, but it was the start of some thematic dialogue within myself.” After about a year, Masson turned his attention to music, recording numerous demos with various friends. In these songs, Masson dealt with similar themes to his sculptures: OFFICE imagery, city life, pop culture, work environments, love, social structure and money. A few years later, OFFICE became a full-fledged band, with the current lineup of guitarist Tom Smith, bassist Alissa Noonan, drummer Erica Corniel and backup singer/multi-instrumentalist Jessica Gonyea, and put out a self-released album of infectious new-wavey pop tunes entitled Q&A.

During the Summer of 2006, the band caught the ear of Scratchie Records owners James Iha and Adam Schlesinger, and the heads of parent company New Line Records, and by November, OFFICE had signed a deal with the label.

A NIGHT AT THE RITZ contains brand new material, as well as select gems culled from five years worth of demo recordings that have been re-worked and re-recorded. All persons involved with OFFICE and THE RITZ felt that these older songs were simply too good to not be released on a wider level. About the album, Masson muses, “This album has easily been the most grueling recording project I’ve ever been a part of, but also the most rewarding. It’s not like this was setting up a band in the studio, and pressing the record button. There are tympanis, keyboards, concert percussion, electronic flourishes, machines, studio tricks, tape machines, choral vocals, and acoustic moments. It was years of revision, reworking, rethinking, subtracting, adding, and re-recording until it got to where it is now.” He adds, “I feel like we live in completely surreal times, and this album is a reaction to that sensation.”

TRACK LISTING
1. Oh My
2. If You Don’t Know By Now
3. The Ritz
4. Company Calls
5. Wound Up
6. The Big Band Jump!
7. Plus Minus Fairytale
8. Paralyzed Prince
9. Had A Visit
10. Q&A
11. Dominoes
12. Possibilities
13. Suburban Perfume

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Made Out Of Babies press release

Made Out of Babies announces summer tour, band led by the singer Decibel calls “Metal’s Most Riveting Frontwoman” and Revolver picks among the “Hottest Chicks in Metal” brings intense, volatile live show to the masses.

Made Out of Babies — the New York City quartet that looks like renegade fashion models and sounds like a ferocious hybrid of PJ Harvey, Jesus Lizard, Babes In Toyland and Big Black — has announced tour dates throughout the east coast and midwest in July. See complete tour dates below.

The band’s sophomore Neurot Recordings album, Coward (E-CARD) received an 8 out of 10 rating from Decibel Magazine and ranked in that publication’s Top 40 Best Albums of 2006. Likewise, Revolver Magazine currently features vocalist Julie Christmas in its “Hottest Chicks in Metal” issue. And, despite the group’s menacing sound and intimidating glamour, much of the mainstream music media has embraced MOoB’s dark portents.

“Metal’s Most Riveting Frontwoman” might be the type of accolades awarded in a construction industry trade magazine, but we double-checked and such high praise for Made Out of Babies and Battle of Mice wailer Julie Christmas is indeed that of the esteemed rock monthly Decibel Magazine (which also awarded the Battle of Mice debut a perfect 10 out of 10!) Likewise, several other publications have sung the praises of Coward since its release in October, 2006.

Made Out of Babies first captured the attention of the underground punk/metal scene with its Neurot Recordings debut Trophy in 2005. On stage, caterwauling front-woman Julie Christmas paces the floor, yelping with a bewitching intensity that defies her charming beauty and occasionally cherubic whispers. Meanwhile, towering guitarist Brendan Tobin coolly strangulates leaden sheets of guitar strata from his battered six-string, bassist Cooper lunges in time as his instrument rumbles and slithers around Matthew Egan’s relentlessly churning rhythms and blood-splattering drum fills.

There’s no rock machismo in the sounds of Made Out of Babies, which just might be what makes it so unsettling and unique. Instead, the group bears a mysteriously unified all-out visual and aural aesthetic assault reminiscent of mid-period Black Flag. And yet, there’s a certain curious glamour to MOoB that gives it a monolithic appeal.

MOoB’s sophomore album was recorded with the equally intimidating Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, which could only be described as a match made in… loud. Where its previous album condensed its songs into a single psychotic impulse, Coward blasts its sound inward as well as outward, like a cathartic supernova from a band driven beyond any point of being rational.

From the very first throat-searing yowl that opens the album, Coward is, quite simply, bigger that you. “Proud To Drown” lurches with Cooper’s staccato bass line tugging at Eagan’s pulsating 6/8 drum pattern while Tobin’s Middle Eastern tinged riff winds it all up to erupt. While “Fed” temporarily cools the band’s frenetic energy to greasy throb, it seems primarily to highlight the fact that Julie can really sing – not that any of us are likely to coax a sweet lullaby out of her anytime soon. But, her vocal acrobatics — leaping effortlessly from a demure whisper to a note-perfect murderous scream — are in finest form here, reminiscent of Leslie Rankine of Silverfish and/or a more demented Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Throughout, the album Made Out of Babies remains evocative, intimidating, brutally frank and — as the International rock press shouted with glee over the band’s stunning debut – by far Neurot Recordings’ most unabashedly rocking outfit.

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Girl Talk goes topless for Playgirl, eats hot dogs with Congressman Doyle and Newsweek

Girl Talk goes topless for Playgirl, eats hot dogs with Congressman Doyle and Newsweek, quits his job and goes on tour with Dan Deacon.

Although you’re more likely to see Gillis strip down to his skivvies at a Girl Talk show, half a million people saw Gillis exposed in June’s “Man of The Year” issue of Playgirl Magazine. When discussing what he likes to do in his free time, Gillis says, “I enjoy swimming, playing basketball, lighting off fireworks, snacking it out, and bro’n down.” About the issue, Gillis says, “I didn’t know it was out, and a friend actually spotted it in a women’s restroom at this pretty dive-y bar in Pittsburgh. She didn’t know I was in it, she was just browsing. Pretty funny situation.”

What some might find even funnier is the fact that Gillis ate hot dogs with Newsweek journalist Steven Levy and Congressman Mike Doyle shortly after the Playgirl piece hit stands. Levy and Congressman Doyle flew to Pittsburgh to meet Gillis at local hot dog joint Franktuary to discuss Doyle’s recent statements supporting Girl Talk ’s sample based music on the floor of Congress. Read all about it (LINK).

Gillis recently was granted the freedom to do the above mentioned things, as he recently resigned from his job as a biomedical engineer that up until now has also kept him from taking on more remix projects and touring on a regular basis.

“I couldn’t keep up with both worlds,” Gillis says. “It was just too much. I keep getting sick because I’m in a constant state of running somewhere else. Music has always been my main interest, but I never really thought of it as a possible career. I think I’m extremely lucky to be in the position I am in now, where I can dedicate at least a year of my life to music and stay afloat.”

According to Gillis’ booking agent Sam Hunt at The Windish Agency, “It shouldn’t have too great of an impact on his live schedule. There’s something awesome about only playing on the weekends, and we’d like to do our best to keep that going,” Hunt says. “However, there have been a number of uniquely awesome opportunities that have been impossible because they took place during the week. Also, there’s a chance he’ll be able to do a more thorough/actual tour involving multiple consecutive shows!”

Gillis’s resignation also granted him the opportunity to go on tour with Dan Deacon, more flexibility to perform at special events during the week and also more time to work on Trey Told ‘Em, a band he started with friend and collaborator Frank Musarra (Hearts of Darknesses). The duo has already completed one remix for Tokyo Police Club, and has many more in the works including tracks for Simian Mobile Disco and Professor Murder.

Girl Talk was one of the highlights of this year’s Coachella festival (VIDEO), with Paris Hilton (mere weeks before her incarceration!) and Perry Farrell dancing alongside him and throwing confetti. As usual, Gillis had a crew of dancers join him on stage, with gigantic bright yellow balloons tied to their wrists. Girl Talk was also a hit at this month’s Bonnaroo Festival and the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona.

Who ever thought you would see the day when the words Playgirl, Newsweek and Paris Hilton could all be used in one of our press releases? In true Girl Talk fashion, he never ceases to amaze.

In addition to the tour with Dan Deacon, Gillis is excited to be playing several more summer festivals, including Pitchfork and the Winnipeg and Montreal Jazz Festivals. He will also put his fan base to the test this July by playing Red Rocks in Colorado with Violent Femmes and Blues Traveler, soon to be followed by a show with Widespread Panic in Boston. This just further illustrates Girl Talk ’s notorious “down for whatever” attitude about music.

Girl Talk Live:

* w/ Dan Deacon

07/04 Morrison, CO Red Rock Pavillion
07/14 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival
07/18 Boston, MA Bank Of America Pavilion
07/27 Seattle, WA Capitol Hill Block Party
07/28 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
08/04 Baltimore, MD Pimlico Race Park
08/09 Indianapolis, IN Talbott Street
08/10 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
08/24 Tulsa, OK Cains Ballroom
09/08 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
09/12 Toronto, ON Phoenix*
09/15 New York, NY Webster Hall*
09/17 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church*
09/20 Charlottesville, VA Satellite Ballroom*
09/21 Asheville, NC Orange Peel*
09/22 Atlanta, GA MJQ Concourse*
09/27 San Diego, CA Epicentre*
09/28 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex*
09/29 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore*
10/04 Lawrence, KS The Granada Theatre
10/05 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
10/06 Iowa City, IA The Picador
10/11 Calgary, AB The Warehouse
10/12 Edmonton, AB The Starlite Room
11/01 Houston, TX Engine Room
11/02 Dallas, TX Palladium Loft