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Barsuk Records



Last Updated: 11/23/2009

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Status: Single
City: SEATTLE
State: WASHINGTON
Country: US
Signup Date: 11/10/2005

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[14 Nov 2009 | Saturday] 

Current mood:  talkative
Category: Music
We're so excited! We just signed Seattle's own Pearly Gate Music to the Barsuk fam! Holla to the fact that his/their debut LP will be out next year.

(Pearly Gate is Zach Tillman, but he records and sometimes plays shows with a full band. Confusing? Sort of. Cool? YES.)

Check and see.  He may be in your city RIGHT now and you don't even know it. LUCKY.

November:

13 - PORTLAND, ME - Space Gallery
15 - CAMBRIDGE, MA - Middle East - Upstairs
16 - BROOKLYN, NY - Bell House
17 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - First Unitarian
18 - WASHINGTON, DC - 9:30 Club
19 - CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - UVA Chapel
20 - ASHEVILLE, NC - Grey Eagle Tavern and Music Hall
21 - ATLANTA, GA - Earl
23 - BIRMINGHAM, AL - Bottle Tree
24 - NEW ORLEANS, LA - One Eyed Jacks
26 - HOUSTON, TX - Walter's On Washington
27 - AUSTIN, TX - Mohawk
28 - DENTON, TX - Hailey's
30 - PHOENIX, AZ - Modified

December:

01 - SAN DIEGO, CA - Casbah
02 - LOS ANGELES, CA - Troubadour
04 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Great American Music Hall
11 - SEATTLE, WA - Crocodile Cafe
12 - PORTLAND, OR - Mississippi Studios

All shows with J. Tillman


12:16 AM 
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[10 Nov 2009 | Tuesday] 

Current mood:  sneezy
Category: Music
Get this:
D Tour is an award-winning feature-length documentary that chronicles Pat Spurgeon's (from Rogue Wave) search for a living organ donor and the challenges associated with finding a viable match. The documentary includes footage from a San Francisco benefit that features performances from Nada Surf, Ben Gibbard and John Vanderslice. It premieres tonight, Tuesday November 10th, on the PBS series Independent Lens.  Super cool.

Seriously sounds like an awesome documentary.  Check here to see when it airs in your city:  http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/d-tour/
Remember, it's on TONIGHT. Can't wait to watch!
11:23 PM 
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[30 Oct 2009 | Friday] 

Current mood:  stoked
Category: Music



6:42 PM 
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[29 Oct 2009 | Thursday] 

Current mood:  peaceful
Category: Music

ROCKY VOTOLATO - TRUE DEVOTION
OUT FEBRUARY 23RD, 2010 ON BARSUK RECORDS



Listen to a live version of "Sparklers", one of the stand out tracks from True Devotion.  Recorded during Rocky's recent intimate house show tour, this solo acoustic version showcases the brilliant songwriting present throughout True Devotion.

http://barsukmusic.blaireau.net/RockyVotolato_Sparklers_LiveInEastPaloAlto.mp3


Seattle musician Rocky Votolato is a soft-spoken, very kind, hard-working father of two, born in rural Texas and raised in the Pacific Northwest indie scene (where he fronted the acclaimed rock band Waxwing). Votolato writes graceful, understated, human, unpretentious songs, demonstrating that simplicity is still a viable option for accomplished songwriters. His last two releases, Makers (2006, Barsuk) and The Brag & Cuss (2007, Barsuk), found him exploring and paying homage to the folk and country music that shaped his early life in Texas (Alternative Press described the former as “the disc Ryan Adams keeps threatening to make but never quite delivers,” and Harp praised his “harmonies that would make Gram and Emmylou proud” on the latter). True Devotion, his new album, is a passionate, stripped down, and mostly acoustic reflection on moments from his current life; showing us where he is, where he has just come from, and where he’s going.

Where he’s going has to be better than where he’s coming from: In the years following the release of The Brag & Cuss, Votolato’s private lifelong battle with depression and anxiety started showing up in ways he could no longer hide from or disguise. Unable to write music or keep up the busy touring schedule that he’s been known for, he cut himself off from almost all outside contact (at one point barely leaving his apartment for over a year). Spending his time reading, studying existential philosophy, history, physics, and theology, he gradually overcame his demons. He began writing again, and through the making of the new album (recorded almost entirely on his own, and then mixed with the help of longtime production collaborator Casey Foubert [Sufjan Stevens, David Bazan] and old friend John Goodmanson [The Blood Brothers, Sleater-Kinney]) found some long sought-after understanding and peace of mind.

If the future waits with more bouts of inner torment for him or for his listeners, then Rocky Votolato has delivered on True Devotion a batch of intensely honest songs that may also act as a reminder and shadowy roadmap back toward peace.

6:50 PM 
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[23 Oct 2009 | Friday] 

Current mood:  full
Category: Music





8:36 PM 
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[15 Oct 2009 | Thursday] 

Current mood:  blissful
Category: Music
PHANTOGRAM JOINS THE BARSUK RECORDS FAMILY


Saratoga Springs, NY duo set to release their debut LP Eyelid Movies February 9th, 2010 on Barsuk Records.

“A refreshing, unusual and diverting first record from two new talents, and one to recommend for jaded electro and indie fans who felt the New York scene had gone as far as it could with art-skronk.”
- The BBC

Phantogram’s music sounds like it’s made by a band from the city. Electronic loops, hip-hop beats, shoegaze, soul, pop - each finds its way into their songs. Unexpectedly, the band doesn’t live and work in a major urban center, but rather calls the town of Saratoga Springs, NY (population 26,186) home. Despite the cultural influence of local Skidmore College (where fellow beat-experimenters Ratatat formed) and a relatively small scene of adventurous musicians and listeners, Saratoga isn’t exactly teeming with fans of J. Dilla, My Bloody Valentine or Serge Gainsbourg.

But Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel, the duo that make up Phantogram and who grew up in the even smaller nearby municipality of Greenwich, have flourished in Saratoga. In fact, the town itself isn’t rural enough for their taste - they drive almost every day another 45 minutes into upstate farmland to a barn they call Harmony Lodge to write and record. Serving as their homemade studio/practice space/think-tank/bat-cave, the barn is equipped with various samplers, tapes, records, synths, drums, and both percussive and stringed instruments. It’s there that Phantogram allows their natural surroundings and metropolitan influences to meld together creating beautiful, beat-driven dreamlike pop songs.

The band even references dreams when describing both the lyrics and sonics of their own music, and the process of making it: “We ran across a description of dreams somewhere that used the phrase ‘eyelid movies’ - and it really struck us both as something that fit our music,” notes Barthel, while Carter explains further: “Daydreams, the spots you see moving around when your eyes are closed tight, and the shapes you see in the world - those are the kinds of things we want to surface in your mind when you hear a Phantogram song.”

Hard to say from song to song whether the dreams are entirely pleasant or nightmarish (there tends to be a bleak undercurrent of loneliness and isolation in much of the band’s work, counter-balanced by bright moments of swagger and joy), but this music is certainly vivid and exciting - springing as it does from an unpredictable mix of technological and organic roots.
12:36 AM 
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[13 Oct 2009 | Tuesday] 

Current mood:  fabulous
Category: Music
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113748209



Until 2005, David Bazan led the indie-pop band Pedro the Lion, which had spent the previous 10 years making smart, crushingly bleak records with Christian themes. Bazan himself has always sung outspokenly about his faith, but his work is invariably shot through with disappointment and doubt, with an emphasis on the sordid underbelly of human nature. For someone working in Christian music, he's spent his entire career dwelling on religion's many gray areas.

Still, it's something of a surprise that Bazan's new album (Curse Your Branches) is about the singer's conversion to agnosticism — in some ways, it plays like a breakup letter to God — which has accompanied his forays into parenthood and sobriety. Many albums document the process of finding God, but not so many reflect on losing God, especially coming from someone whose work has been so outspokenly spiritual in nature. That said, "Hard to Be," with its chorus of "It's hard to be a decent human being," pulls off a remarkable feat: It makes breaking up with God seem even less fun than it might sound.

"Helpless to fight it, we should all be satisfied / with the magical explanation for why the living die," Bazan sings, his voice marinating in resignation. His music hasn't necessarily gotten sadder since his conversion, because it was pretty punishing to begin with. But in "Hard to Be," it's clear that for Bazan, giving up on God represents a loss of more than just his own innocence.
10:30 PM 
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[12 Oct 2009 | Monday] 

Current mood:  played
Category: Music
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113659105

Not everyone can write and record a song in two days, but that's the Project Song challenge faced by Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie) and J. Robbins (of Jawbox and Burning Airlines). What made this project especially difficult was that the two had never even met before they stepped into NPR's performance studio.

But it didn't take long for Robbins to pick up his bass guitar, for Walla to pick up a guitar, and for the two to begin their musical friendship.

I supplied some inspiration for their song: photo collages created by artist Tom Chambers. They chose a photograph of a house in a canyon filled with water, tilted and flooded. Not far from the house is a dog on a boat, floating either toward or away from the house. I also supplied a series of words. They selected the word "cerebral" and promised when they wrote the song not to be too cerebral about it.

Walla and Robbins were joined by Robbins' friend, drummer Darren Zentek. The song they created, "Mercury," takes its subject matter from that photograph, which is a bit of a cataclysmic scenario turned into a song about the climate crisis.
And a great song it is. You can hear the music and watch a video documenting the creative process as it unfolds.

You can also see more of Tom Chambers' photo collages on The Picture Show.
11:47 PM 
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[01 Oct 2009 | Thursday] 

Current mood:  pure
Category: Music
Say Hi is Eric Elbogen.  His latest effort, the brilliant Oohs & Aahs, was released on Barsuk this past spring.  Eric has been hitting the road extensively in support of Oohs & Aahs through most of 2009 with the ever-evolving cast of musicians that make up Say Hi on the road.  The road warriors begin another nationwide tour today opening for fellow Barsuk artist David Bazan.  (Eric is pulling double duty on this touring as a member of Bazan's backing band!) 
 
In honor of the extensive coast-to-coast tour that begins tonight in San Francisco, we're excited to premier both the new video for "One, Two ... One" and a demo recording of "November Was White, December Was Grey".
 
The excellent video for "One, Two ... One", directed by Drew Norton, finds Eric hunted by the obsessive, beautiful, and cruel goddess Diana.   It's a gem, so check it out below:
 
 
Watch | Download | Share  Say Hi "One, Two ... One" (from Oohs & Aahs out now on Barsuk Records):
 
 
 
We're also excited to share with an unreleased demo version of Oohs & Aahs stand out "November Was White, December Was Grey".   This solo, stripped down version, accentuates the wonderful song craft of this uniquely Northwest anthem.
 
 
Listen | Download | Share  Say Hi "November Was White, December Was Grey (demo version)"
 
 
 
Say Hi + David Bazan Tour Dates
 
10/01 San Francisco CA Independent
10/02 Costa Mesa CA Detroit Bar
10/03 San Diego CA Casbah
10/04 Los Angeles CA Troubadour
10/05 Tucson AZ Solar Culture
10/07 Austin TX Mohawk
10/08 Denton TX Dan's Silverleaf
10/09 Memphis TN Hi-Tone Café
10/10 Murray KY Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
10/11 Birmingham AL Bottletree
10/13 Orlando FL The Social
10/14 Atlanta GA Drunken Unicorn
10/15 Chapel Hill NC Cat's Cradle
10/16 Washington DC Black Cat
10/17 Philadelphia PA Kung Fu Necktie
10/18 New York NY Bowery Ballroom
10/20 Cambridge MA TT the Bear's
10/21 Montreal QC Il Motore
10/22 Toronto ON Lee's Palace
10/23 Pontiac MI Pike Room
10/24 Chicago IL Schubas
10/25 Champaign IL Highdive
10/27 Madison WI High Noon Saloon
10/28 Minneapolis MN Turf Club
10/29 Iowa City IA The Picador
10/30 Lawrence KS Jackpot Saloon
10/31 Omaha NE Slowdown
11/01 Denver CO Hi Dive
11/02 Salt Lake City UT Kilby Court
11/05 Vancouver BC Media Club
11/06 Portland OR Mississippi Studios
11/07 Seattle WA Neumos
 
8:05 PM 
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[29 Sep 2009 | Tuesday] 

Current mood:  fabulous
Category: Music

DAVID BAZAN’S FIRST FULL BAND TOUR SINCE 2005 STARTS THIS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1ST

BAZAN’S FANS BUY HIM A TOUR VAN

DAYTROTTER SESSION UP NOW


Starting Thursday October 1st, David Bazan will be taking to the road in support of his recent Barsuk Records release Curse Your Branches, touring with a full band for the first time since the final Pedro The Lion show in October 2005.

In advance of the tour, Bazan created a limited-edition “I Helped Bazan Buy A Van” t-shirt to help find a replacement for his recently-retired longtime touring vehicle, spreading word of the shirt’s availability via his website, Facebook, and Twitter pages. The response was amazing, and in twelve days Bazan had sold enough shirts to fully pay for a tour van and trailer. You can see the new van (and pictures of the old one being towed away) at davidbazan.com.

Joining Bazan on tour will be: Eric Elbogen: guitar (Say Hi), Andy Fitts: keyboards + guitar (Aqueduct), Casey Foubert: drums (Richard Swift, Sufjan Stevens), Blake Wescott: guitar (long-time Bazan collaborator).

Last time he was in Rock Island, IL, Bazan stopped by Daytrotter and recorded a few songs off of Curse Your Branches in their all-analog studio. The results of that day’s work can now be heard at daytrotter.com.

Known for his work with Pedro The Lion and Headphones, Curse Your Branches is David Bazan’s first full album release under his name, and is a masterwork by a modern American poet (Paste called him one of the “100 best living songwriters”) at the height of his powers. This record is the deepest and most explicit exploration of his struggles with faith and the Evangelical world in which he was raised to date, and a meditation on all things passed between the generations.

Some kind words on the record:

“The best music of his career.”
- Alternative Press

“His most powerful and interesting album thus far.”
- Filter

“No one writes better - or angrier songs about God than David Bazan. Tales of alcoholism and spiritual doubt abound, but they're delivered with such pristine beauty... that [they] are bizarrely life-affirming.”
- The Village Voice

“A nearly perfect release from one of rock's most engaging songwriters.”
- In Utah This Week

“His identity crisis, drinking binges and family tensions are chronicled in chunky, rootsy rockers that can be stately or foot-stomping - and can, perhaps, offer some resolution.”
- The New York Times

“Heart-wrenchingly beautiful.”
- Philadelphia Weekly

“3 1/2 stars [out of 4]”
- Los Angeles Times


DAVID BAZAN ON TOUR:

October:

w. Say Hi

1 - San Francisco, CA - Independent
2 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
3 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
4 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
5 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
7 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
8 - Denton, TX - Dan's Silverleaf
9 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Café
10 - Murray, KY - Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
11 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
13 - Orlando, FL - The Social
14 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
15 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle
16 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
17 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
18 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
20 - Cambridge, MA - TT the Bear's
21 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
22 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
23 - Pontiac, MI - Pike Room
24 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s
25 - Champaign, IL - Highdive
27 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
28 - Minneapolis, MN - Turf Club
29 - Iowa City, IA - The Picador
30 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon
31 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown

November:

1 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
5 - Vancouver, BC - Media Club
6 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
7 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
10:27 PM 
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