We're back home and already missing the road! It was such an awesome time these past two weeks and we thank everyone who helped us out along the way. Thanks to Chad and Suzy for hooking us up and showing us a good time in AZ. Thanks to Beej for partying and helping us out each night during the tour. It was great seeing and playing to new faces and partying with some old friends. Thanks to the guys from You Apart, The Machete Archive, No Bueno, The Terrible Airplane, Principle of Contradiction, Cain & Annabelle, Shallow Shores, Future Kings, Red Stinger, Gooses and Dirk Quinn Band for rocking out with us throughout the tour. We hope to do it again as soon as possible.

Now it is back to the writing process!

BANDS/VENUES/PROMOTERS,

We could use your help booking the following dates.
The dates in bold have NOT been booked yet or are still in the works.

Please let us know if you can help!

Sept. 19 / Des Moines / The House of Bricks
Sept. 21 / Omaha, NE
Sept. 22 / Lincoln, NE / Zoo Bar
Sept. 23 / Denver, CO / The Walnut Room
Sept. 24 / Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 25 / Scottsdale, AZ / Wok Star
Sept. 26 / Phoenix, Glendale, Tucson, AZ
Sept. 27 / Phoenix, Glendale, Tucson, AZ
Sept. 28 / Albuquerque, NM
Sept. 29 / Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, CO
Sept. 30 / Lincoln, NE
Oct. 1 / Omaha, NE / The Pizza Shoppe Collective




-TACITURN

Check out our tour schedule for a list of shows and cities we'll be playing in. We'll be posting more shows and info as they're confirmed.

Sept. 19 / The House of Bricks / Des Moines, IA / with TBA
Sept. 21 / TBD / Omaha, NE / with TBA
Sept. 22 / Zoo Bar / Lincoln, NE / with The Machete Archive
Sept. 23 / The Walnut Room / Denver, CO / with No Bueno! & Red Stinger
Sept. 25 / Wok Star / Scottsdale, AZ / with You Apart
Sept. 26 / TBD / Tucson, AZ / with You Apart & Flagrante Delicto

More shows will be posted shortly...

Also, check out our good friends You Apart (Tucson, AZ) & No Bueno! (Denver, CO) These are two great bands that we'll be playing with along the way and they'll rock your faces off. Give them a listen.

Cheers!
TACITURN

Taciturn's new album celebrates impermanence

On paper, you might not think a progressive rock group from Des Moines has much in common with one of the three essential doctrines of Buddhism. But when you look up the definition of the word impermanence and learn how it expresses the Buddhist notion that every conditioned existence is in flux [the aging process, the cycle of birth and rebirth, and in any experience of loss] you can see how it applies to Taciturn's enlightened independent album, "Secret Messages in Impermanence."

The way brothers Todd (guitars) and Shaun (drums) Riekena change musical direction on a dime is a good reminder that attachment to any one musical movement or feeling is futile. The album's eight original instrumental songs are models of musical unrest and experimentation of atmospheric sounds, noises, melodies and rhythm — the results of countless hours of jamming. They ebb and flow between the dark and the light and encompass a variety of emotions in between, challenging the listener to make their own conclusions at the end of a musical voyage that includes haunting guitar melodies, intricate drum patterns and electronic samples.

"We like to keep a sense of mystery in our music and allow fans to go on a journey," Shaun said.

That might be the most lengthy explanation you could hope to elicit from the duo that prefers to let their music do the talking — often 10 or more minutes at a time. They live up to their band name as polite, but reserved in speech and manner.

"We're just happy to be done with it so we can get it out to the people," Todd said, noting it took the duo four years to complete the album. The drum tracks were recorded at a Des Moines warehouse studio they rented for rehearsals and the guitar parts at their father's home studio in Oskaloosa. They spent four days mixing and mastering the album at Sound Farm Studios in Jamaica (Iowa) with the help of Matt Sepanic. Shaun, who works as a graphic designer, created the album's artwork.

"We put a lot into it and we're proud of it," he said. "It's been a long time coming."

So, too, has been the brothers' musical journey, which continues to take new direction. After playing in a trio called Moth, Todd and Shaun formed Taciturn in 2001. "We had a vision of forming a band that was something people haven't heard, to create something different and that would make us happy," Shaun said. During the past six years, the group has done just that, steadily building a reputation as one of Des Moines' most original acts, if not only instrumental rock band, which they say is both a hindrance and a good thing.

"We can fit in with different types of music when it comes to finding places to play even though we don't fit into a specific scene or genre," Shaun said.

Taciturn's eclectic brand of music is likely to become even more adventurous with the recent addition of bassist Nick Borror, who also plays with Index Case and By The Beard of Zeus.

"The fact that the music comes first drew me to the band," Borror said. "When I listen to music the first thing I hear is the instruments, not the lyrics."

The brothers are excited about the endless possibilities Borror brings to the mix, including beefing up Taciturn's sound to better allow them to explore new ranges of their instruments.

"He brings another layer to the music and gives us another element to feed off of," Todd said. "I no longer have to play bass lines, I can go off and play higher parts."

For Shaun, Borror's addition will add to the band's groove. "It's someone else I can lock in with," he said. "It will also free me up."

Artistic freedom is of the utmost importance to Taciturn, adding it has no immediate plans to shop the album. It would, however, like to bulk up the number of gigs it plays. In the meantime, the group is focused on its two CD release shows on Saturday at the Vaudeville Mews, sharing the bill with some bands that have helped and befriended them along the way. Like the mix of groups on the bill, Taciturn continues to draw inspiration from a variety of genres while searching for the ultimate musical journey.

"We want to get a song to a climax," Todd said. "We like to stretch out an idea and take it in a different direction and pull it all together in the end."