We've just got back from our month-long tour of America. What an amazing time! We drove 12,000 km across the country, played to thousands of people and made a load of new friends. Thanks to everyone who came out, talked to us and bought albums and shirts!

The American tour would have been impossible without the help of
- Kim Baxter & Chris Flanagan, All Girl Summer Fun Band, BOAT, Aleks + The Ramps, The Great White Jenkins, Fist Fite, Kevin Erickson & Gus Franklin and everyone at the Dept of Safety, Niall O' Sullivan, Scott Reitherman, Matt Smallwood, Sarah Flanagan, Alec Despot, Stormy & Matt, Awol One, Factor & Tebesko, John Cota, Jacob 'Safari' Cooper, Chris Michaels, Jason Reece, Chuck & Amy, Mark The Merch Guy, Adam Fisher and all the staff at all the venues who helped us enormously. Thanks!

Special huge thanks to Nick 'Diamonds' Thorburn and all of Islands for asking us in the first place and for making it all possible (and fun!) throughout the tour.

But BIGGEST thanks of all go to Donal 'The Duffler' Griffin for driving/merching/tourmanaging/cheerleading throughout. What a legend.

Hopefully we'll back to the USA soon. Stay in touch, everyone!

'White Wonder' seems to be receiving great acclaim from the national press.
4-star reviews across the board
Here are some particularly nice things people have been saying...

'White Wonder's strength lies partly in the fact that it is a more collaborative effort, with Ronan Jackson and Ruadhan O'Meara playing more than backing band to Smith's nascent genius. The reverse evolution from the vintage synths of the opening instrumental to the guitar and autoharp gentility of the closing track is proof of the trio's confidence.The future's very bright'
4/5, The Irish Times


'From the fantastic, bombastic single ' Lost In The Forest, through the pounding menace of 'Bad Days Move On', to the chiming lullaby of 'We Sleep', it's an accomplished gallery of experimental arrangements, challenging structures and, as the gorgeous chord changes on 'All The Elders' and '16 Going On 63' show, a connoisseur's love of sublime pop. Crayonsmith are shining knights in Ireland's pop armour'
4/5, The State


'White Wonder is a glorious explosion of programmed beats, synths and samples that grab you by the shoulders and sweep you onto the dancefloor of your favourite indie club. So euphoric, it'll raise a mountain range of goosebumps. Wonderful stuff'
4/5 www.entertainmentireland.com

'Giddy and imbued with sing-out-loud moments, White Wonder is one of the most unabashedly uplifting LP's it's been our pleasure to hear all year'
4/5 Metro

'Every time you think you have unlocked Crayonsmith's rhythmic structure and attempt to predict what is coming next, he does something totally unexpected. That surprise factor ensures that you are engaged for the entire duration of the 11 tracks that bind this wonderful opus together. Continually delights the listener...White Wonder is simply too enjoyable not to be embraced by any music lover'
Totally Dublin

'The album moves along effortlessly – dipping in and out of electronic soundscapes, combining sampled drums and sounds with live instrumentation seamlessly and with sweet (and bitter-sweet) vocals that harmonize perfectly. White Wonder is one of best Irish albums of the year'
4/5 The Nationalist

'crazy-as-a-bastard, epic-pop mastermind Ciaran Smith and co. have managed to create something warm, inviting and altogether bloody good. It blends indie-pop quirkery (like Flaming Lips or Grandaddy) with electronic gimmickry (like Autamata or Beyonce) and still manages to sound completely organic. In fact songs like 'Lost In The Forest' and 'Anxious' should really be indie classics. Maybe they will...White Wonder is very, very good indeed'
4/5 Hot Press

The Hot Press review also included the lines
- 'White Wonder is the sound of shoegazing music being bet to death by Phil Spector after a bout of lovemaking in a backstreet sauna.'
and
-'White Wonder is the sound of a robotic stag and a saddened unicorn fighting a Korg MS20 in the night sky while a baby laughs and nuns weep for us all', both of which we are particularly delighted about!


10/10 The FREQUENCY-IRELAND Music Alternative

An album that has already been championed by many in the music press as
one of the highlights of the year thus far, White Wonder is a treasure
trove of fuzzed up melodies and infectious indie-rock. Armed with
propulsive electronic beats and synth pop sounds it has all the
ingredients of a solid album, and well-balanced one.

Not only does the album take on a propulsion all of its own, most notably in the Grandaddy-esque chorus
of All The Elders, Ciaran Smith has also matured as a songwriter on it,
and with frequent nods to themes of lost direction often delicately
put, 'sometimes tired eyes just can't see clearly', the album could be
considered a quaint concept album - a concept of which we had a
foretaste of course with the single which preceded the album release,
Lost In The Forest. Although many of the beautiful mistakes of Stay
Loose are absent in White Wonder, a few more purposeful moments ensure
that the album is still full of surprises, such as where the lazily
warm exit song in We Sleep culminates in some crowning fuzzed up
moments before it tails off back to those same electronica beats of the
intro.


Check out the new video for 'Lost In The Forest' up now on the page!
Directed by the super-talented Gareth Averill.

We are honoured to announce that Nick Thorburn (Diamonds) of Islands has personally invited Crayonsmith to support them for 14 gigs across the USA this June!

The tour is to celebrate the release of their new album 'ARM'S WAY', out May 20 through Anti Records

Below are the confirmed dates

June 12th: Neumos, Seattle, WA
June 13th: Hawthorne, Portland, OR
June 14th: Indigo District, Eugene, OR
June 16th: Bimbo's, San Francisco, CA
June 17th: Henry Fonda Theater, LA, CA
June 18th: Epicentre , San Diego, CA
June 20th: Club Congress, Tucson, AZ
June 21st: Club House, Phoenix, AZ
June 23rd: Emo's, Austin, TX
June 24th: Granada, Dallas, TX
June 25th: Walter's, Houston, TX
June 26th: Tipitinas, New Orleans, LA
June 27th: Masquerade, Atlanta, GA
June 28th: Venue TBA, Chapel Hill

We may be bookending these gigs with other shows in the States.

Drop us a line if you're in the USA and interested in booking anything or if you can help us out with a place to stay or even just to say Hello!

x

Hey!

The new album WHITE WONDER is released this Friday April 4th on Out On A Limb Records and will be available from all good record stores in Ireland that day and also through the websites of Road Records (www. roadrecs. com) and Tower (www. towerrecords. ie)

It is already available to pre-order directly through Out On A Limb’s myspace as of now....
www. myspace. com/outonalimbrecords

and the good folks at Road Records, Dublin also have it available on pre-order: http://www.roadrecs.com/stock/shopping.php3?start=1&action=4&artist=CRAYONSMITH

The CD is €15, anywhere in the world, postage/shipping costs inclusive. Please note that these CDs will not be dispatched until Monday April 7th.

Pay your local record shop a visit and pick it up there!! If you can’t/live outside Ireland, you can of course buy it directly from OOAL...

If you are more into downloading, the album can be got worldwide digitally at places such as Itunes, Play.Com, Fnac Music, 7Digital, Emusic, etc....

We’re playing a slew of gigs around the country to promote it starting this Thursday April 3rd in Galway (all dates on Profile page), and an extra special hometown launch in Dublin happens on SATURDAY APRIL 19TH at The Academy w/ guests Cap Pas Cap and BATS. Doors will be 8pm, and admission will be just €5!!!

Keep checking in on the Myspace page as we will be doing a number of radio sessions over next few weeks, including SPIN South West (SpinTalk Weekend, April 5th), Live 95fm (Green & Live), Cork’s 96fm (Green Room, April 12th), Phantom FM, Today FM (Last Splash) and others.

So, check the dates on the page, along with 2 songs from the album.

Keep in touch!

Hey!

The new single, 'Lost In The Forest', is out on March 7 2008 on Out On A Limb records. It will be available worldwide as a digital download from all the usual places (Itunes, Playlouder, Amazon etc) and features fantastic artwork by Mike Ahern of Dublin design/animation outfit D.A.D.D.Y.

There will be a launch show on March 7 in Whelan's (Dublin), with special guests Somadrone.

The track will be available to stream on Out On A Limb's & our Myspace page from Friday, February 8.

The single is taken from the new album 'White Wonder' which will be out in April on Out On A Limb records.

Tickets are on sale at WaV Box Office, Camden Row. Lo-call 1890 200 078 Open Mon - Friday 10am - 8pm, Saturday 12pm-8pm - all major credit cards accepted.

Thanks

Hey!

So, you can now buy the debut album 'Stay Loose' on iTunes as well as from this Myspace page.

You can read album reviews etc. in the other blog.

About "Stay Loose":
"Stay Loose" is the debut album from Dublin based Crayonsmith. Written and produced in 2005/6 by Ciaran Smith with the help of some friends and whatever instruments he had close to hand (drum-machine, guitar, keyboards, bass, glockenspiel, tooth-brush etc.), it combines melody, beats, rhythms, harmonies, dueling vocals, insightful lyrics, and found sound/studio experimentation to produce an eclectic yet ultimately cohesive album that fuses together many different musical styles. It moves effortlessly from persistent up-tempo rock/electro-pop ("Drunken Smile") to mid-tempo respites ("Unnatural"), through to quieter, more subtle, delicate moments ("Daftness and Chloe '') before ending in a slow-growing crescendo ("The Best Sendoff Ever!"). "Stay Loose" is a well paced album with carefully placed pit-stops for the listener along the way, resulting in a thoroughly rewarding listening experience that is highly energetic and, at the same time, suitably personal and intimate.

Also, we're putting the finishing touches to the second album out in Feb/Mar. '08 on Outonalimbrecords. More details to follow soon.

Cheers!

Surf's Up for Crayonsmith, Limerick Leader, (Alan Jaques)

" Stay Loose is a totally seductive and focused pop record that you can completely lose yourself in ... filthy rich in harmonies, melodies and originality ... filled with moments of warm and fuzzy joy that Brian Wilson himself would be proud to have inspired. Summer's here kids!"

Stay Loose' Review, Cluas Music Forum, 7/10 (Gareth Maher)

"A sauntering collection of ten indie pop tunes that come alive in your headphones with colour, imagination and charm. Ciaran Smith, a.k.a. Crayonsmith, creates adventurous indie pop music that warms the senses. Released on the Musical Voodoo Label, this, his debut album, cascades along with an enchanting ambience that gets right under the skin. It is an album designed to catch the listener off-guard and lure them in closer with its textured melodies and lush harmonies.

Opening with the excellent 'Drunken Smile', Smith's soft vocals stand out straight away. He sings like someone who has grown up listening to The Beach Boys and Neil Young but would now be more influenced by a band like Joy Zipper. It's quite a likeable voice. The music itself has a hint of Pavement and Beck to it, but there is enough originality running through to keep his sound fresh and inventive.

As the album starts to spin, a charisma emerges through Smith's songwriting and musicianship. It comes in the form of a mellow aftertaste that leaves the listener wanting more. Tracks like 'Lock-In' and 'Scarytale' perfectly reveal this with their well-timed injections of colour and imagination. Aided by a cabal of indie mechanics (most notably John Cowhie a.k.a. Goodtime John), 'Stay Loose' never feels like Smith is on his own. There are backing vocals, drums, keys, bass and plenty of humming happening in the background throughout its thirty-three minute duration.

Working like a musical surgeon hurriedly connecting, disconnecting and reconnecting parts in order for them to fit in the right place - Smith delicately balances an indie pop assuredness with electronic leanings. He chooses to keep things simple and to make sure that the flow of the album is never disturbed. This in turn makes 'Stay Loose' a cascading adventure that introduces the listener to the exciting talent of Crayonsmith.

'Stay Loose' Review, The Irish Times Ticket 3/5 (Jim Carroll )

" What's interesting about Ciarán Smith's debut as Crayonsmith are his subtle attempts to steer songs away from preconceived routes and notations Smith is on surest ground when he cuts his melodies from simple cloths, and the likes of Drunken Smile and Lock-In highlight perfectly Smith's knack for finding cohesion in the messiest of musical circumstances, helped by his likable voice "


'Stay Loose' Review, Road Records, Dublin, (Dave and Julie May 2006)

Crayonsmith is better known to his friends around Dublin as Ciaran Smith. This is his debut full length album and its a rather superb collection of lo-fi indie rock sounds. It's a perfect blend of the slacker rock sounds of Pavement and Sebadoh crossed with a bit of Elliott Smith and the funky sounds of early Beck. The album is packed with really well crafted songs and lots of fuzzed up guitar explosions, put that all together and you end up with a really catchy and happy sounding record that will have you humming along to long after its over. Really, really high quality stuff.

Crayonsmith w/ Sparklehorse, Belfast, BBC Review
BBC
"With a sound a bit like Sebadoh/The Postal Service via the Irish scene a la David Kitt... sweet plaintive voice which managed to command the attention of an initially chatty crowd, Crayonsmith was a very pleasant surprise, and definitely worth checking out."

Hey!

If you'd like to be added to our mailing list to receive news and gig updates then just send a mail  to:

crayonsmith@gmail.com

Or you can just send a Myspace message with your email address.

Thanks!

Ladies T-shirts: Navy w/ White Print (M)
                         Grass Green w/ White Print (M)

* These are fitted shirts so M will also fit those who take a Small size.

You can see a preview of the fit when you visit www.contintentalclothing.com
click on "Enter Site", click on "Women's T-Shirts, Vests and Tanks"
and scroll down to "Style NO2 Women's Classic Fitted Shirt"


Men's T-shirts: Black w/ Yellow Print (S/L)
                         Purple w/ White Print (S/M)
                         Navy w/ White Print (M)

*Again, these are fitted shirts so they kinda hug you!

You can see a preview of the fit when you visit www.contintentalclothing.com
click on "Enter Site", click on "Men's T-Shirts and Polo"
and scroll down to "Style N11 Men's Slim-Fit Jersey T-Shirt"

To order, just click the Paypal button underneath the picture of the T-shirt on the Crayonsmith Myspace Profile page.