Chicano Batman Release New Studio Album Notebook Fantasy
Today, acclaimed psych-soul band and Los Angeles institution Chicano Batman release their fifth studio album, Notebook Fantasy, via ATO Records. Produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Erykah Badu) and partly recorded at the historic Sunset Sound, Notebook Fantasy embraces a sonic approach that bassist Eduardo Arenas refers to as “painting in primary colors.”
Listen HERE.
Notebook Fantasy takes its title from a phenomenon likely familiar to anyone who feels outside the status quo: the act of spending your formative years dreaming up other worlds and realities in the pages of a notebook, exploring those possibilities with a bold and wide-eyed freedom. The band, comprised of vocalist/lyricist Bardo, guitarist Carlos Arévalo, and bassist Eduardo Arenas, first announced the album in January alongside the release of the album’s debut single “Fly,” a lovestruck reverie lit up with gauzy textures and heavenly group vocals, which they brought to the Jimmy Kimmel Live! stage on March 20th – watch the full performance HERE. Second single “Era Primavera” was released in February, a symphonic love song inspired by vocalist/lyricist Bardo’s fascination with 1960s Latin ballads. Most recently, they shared focus track “Live Today,” which opens the album with bold synths and introspective lyrics, setting the tone for the following 11 tracks. Throughout the album, Chicano Batman channel moments of lightning-in-a-bottle inspiration into songs that push into fantastically strange terrain yet remain rooted in raw emotion.
“We wanted to peel back all the fuzziness and compression, and create something big and punchy and clear that would still hold up if you stripped it down to just a vocal and one instrument,” says guitarist Carlos Arévalo.
“Making this album allowed us to stop reaching toward anything besides being completely ourselves,” Arenas shares. “We believe we have something unique to speak to the world, so we focused on getting that across with confidence and conviction instead of worrying about any outside noise. We want to be so untouchable that no one can take our shine away, and hopefully that’ll help other people to shine too.”
In addition to releasing their most collaborative album to date, Chicano Batman will also be featured on A24’s forthcoming Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense album.
The band will be embarking on an expansive world tour next month, bringing their lively performances coast-to-coast across North America, culminating the first leg in a massive homecoming with a headlining performance at The Kia Forum on June 29th. They will be joined by acclaimed Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta and El Monte’s The Red Pears along the tour. In August, they will perform a run of shows in the United Kingdom and Europe for the first time, followed by multiple performances across Mexico.
Chicano Batman celebrated the album release early with a private KROQ show on Wednesday in Los Angeles, and will continue the festivities with an in-store signing at Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA tomorrow. Fans can keep an eye out for their Reddit Indieheads ‘Ask Me Anything’ session tied to Notebook Fantasy on April 1st at 10am PST.
Be on the lookout for more news and surprises from Chicano Batman.
Notebook Fantasy Tracklist:
- Live Today
- Notebook Fantasy
- Parallels
- Beautiful Daughter
- Era Primavera
- Fly
- Lei Lá
- Tears Away
- The Way You Say It (feat. Say She She)
- Hojas Secas
- Losing My Mind
- Fairytale Love
Chicano Batman Tour Dates
4/19 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl*
4/20 Phoenix, AZ Van Buren*
4/21 Albuquerque, NM The El Rey Theater*
4/22 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace*
4/24 Oklahoma City, OK Tower Theatre*
4/25 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall*
4/26 Austin, TX Austin Psych Fest @ The Far Out Lounge
4/27 Dallas, TX The Factory*
4/28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues*
5/1 Bentonville, AR The Momentary*
5/2 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall*
5/3 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl*
5/4 Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Festival
5/7 Richmond, VA The National*
5/8 Washington, DC 9:30 Club*
5/9 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel*
5/10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club*
5/11 North Adams, MA Hunter Center Mass Moca*
5/12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer*
5/15 Columbus, OH The Bluestone*
5/16 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue*
5/17 Chicago, IL Salt Shed*
5/18 Minneapolis, MN Uptown Theater*
6/20 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre*
6/21 Portland, OR Roseland Theater*
6/22 Boise, ID Knitting Factory*
6/24 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot*
6/25 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre*
6/26 Taos, NM Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership*
6/28 San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre*
6/29 Los Angeles, CA The Kia Forum*^
6/30 San Francisco, CA TBA
8/29 Amsterdam, NL Tolhuistuin
8/31 Manchester, UK Manchester Psych Fest
9/3 London, UK Lafayette
9/4 Paris, FR La Maroquinerie
9/26 Guadalajara, MX C3 Stage
9/27 Queretaro, MX Foro Indie Rocks!
9/28 Mexico City, MX Auditorio BB
Openers:
* Lido Pimienta
^ The Red Pears
Friko Announces SXSW Schedule + Upcoming Spring Tours
Today, Chicago band Friko — vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger — shares a new live video for “Crashing Through” from their debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (out now on ATO Records), and announces new tour dates across North America this spring with Water From Your Eyes, Willis, and Mind’s Eye. Filmed at Treehouse Records in Chicago by Alex Basse, the video captures the band’s infectious energy in a live setting. Kapetan’s vocals and distorted guitar is highlighted by Minzenberger’s bombastic drumming, as the song’s “harmonics embrace the untapped, energetic potential of a live show” (Paste).
Since its release last month, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here has been warmly received with glowing reviews and features from Pitchfork, SPIN, Alternative Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Paste, UPROXX, FLOOD, Relix, and more. Over the weekend the band headlined the 1,000 capacity Metro in Chicago to celebrate the new album. Yesterday, NPR Music’s All Songs Considered podcast featured album standout “Get Numb To It!,” a track that has also received playlisting from Apple’s UNTITLED, Matt Wilkinson’s playlist, Spotify’s New Music Daily, New In Indie, New In Rock and more! Influential radio stations WXRT, SiriusXMU, KUTX, WYMS, and KCMP are also spinning the record.
Ahead of the band’s forthcoming tour dates with Water From Your Eyes, Willis, and Mind’s Eye, Friko will trek down to SXSW for showcases with South by San Jose, Luck Reunion, KROX, Waterloo, KUTX, Paste, and more!
Watch the Live Video for “Crashing Through”
An essential new addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. Formed in 2019, Friko soon began taking the stage at legendary Chicago venues like the Metro, Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern, self-releasing their acclaimed debut EP Whenever Forever in 2022 and making their festival debut at Bonnaroo the following spring. Known for their high-energy live show, Friko aim to deliver a live experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Jack Henry and Scott Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations. Friko hopes that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanizing impact on audiences.
Purchase Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
Watch Friko’s “Where We’ve Been” Video
Watch “Crashing Through” Video
Watch “For Ella” Video
Watch “Crimson to Chrome” Lyric Video
Listen to Friko’s “Get Numb To It!”
Friko Tour Dates (New Dates in Bold):
Sun. Mar. 10 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Midwest House Showcase at Half Step (8 PM)
Tue. Mar. 12 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Waterloo in-store (3 PM)
Wed. Mar. 13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ PASTE Magazine at High Noon (12:40 PM)
Wed. Mar. 13 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ South by San Jose (5 PM)
Thu. Mar. 14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ KUTX Live at Scholz Garten (9 AM)
Thu. Mar. 14 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Luck Reunion (3:20 PM)
Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ KROX at Inn Cahoots (2 PM)
Fri. Mar. 15 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ SOHO House (Members Only) (5:30 PM)
Sat. Mar. 16 – Austin, TX @ SXSW @ Winspear and Pond at Cheer Up Charlie’s (1:30 PM)
Sat. Apr. 6 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahalls &
Sun. Apr. 7 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch &
Tue. Apr. 9 – Toronto, ON @ The Drake &
Thu. Apr. 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ MilkBoy &
Fri. Apr. 12 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall &
Sat. Apr. 13 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made &
Sun. Apr. 14 – Washington, DC @ Atlantis &
Tue. Apr. 16 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl &
Wed. Apr. 17 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings &
Fri. May 3rd – Iowa City, IA @ Gabe’s *
Sat. May 4th – Lincoln, NE @ Lincoln Calling Festival
Mon. May 6th – Memphis, TN @ Growlers *
Tue. May 7th – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic *
Wed. May 8th – Oklahoma City, OK @ Resonant Head *
Fri. May 10 – Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive *
Thu. May 16 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room %
Fri. May 17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Atrium %
Sat. May 18 – Reno, NV @ Holland Project %
Sun. May 19 – Sacramento, CA @ Starlett Room %
Tue. May 21 – Portland, OR @ Mano Oculta %
Wed. May 22 – Seattle WA @ Vera Project %
Wed. May 29 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge %
Thu. May 30 – San Diego, CA @ Voodoo Room %
Fri. May 31 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre %
Sat. June 1 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel %
& w/ Willis
* w/ Water From Your Eyes
% w/ Mind’s Eye
Praise for Friko & Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
“Where we’ve been, Where we go from here… reaffirm[s] that indie rock, as a style and ethos, can still feel like the most exciting thing a young person could be into.” — Pitchfork
“[Friko is] my new favorite band… There is so much abandon in their music.”
— Stephen Thompson, NPR Music’s Running List of the Year’s Best Songs
“[Where we’ve been, Where we go from here] places [Friko] in a lineage of great indie- and alt-rock acts like Radiohead, Arcade Fire, and Bright Eyes—bands with prominent weird streaks, arena-sized potential, and the chops to build a bridge between the two.” — SPIN
“Friko have cemented themselves as one of the most distinguished up-and-coming voices in all of indie-rock.” — Paste
“The dust has barely settled on last year’s ‘best of’ music lists, yet there’s already a good contender for the 2024 tallies.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“[Friko are] one of indie rock’s most exciting new acts.” — UPROXX
“Kapetan’s clear emotional commitment to Friko’s music makes the band’s scrappy, homemade aesthetic feel as grand as a symphony.” — Chicago Reader
“Their energy, their artsy tendencies, and Niko’s shaky voice makes me think of mid 2000s indie bands like Bright Eyes and Wolf Parade… and they also remind me of that era because they sound like weirdo indie kids who are ambitious enough to take over the world.”
— Brooklyn Vegan
“I firmly believe that upon hearing Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, I’ve encountered a musical pinnacle that will remain unmatched in 2024.” — The Big Takeover
“Friko is on the cusp of something special…” — WGN-TV
“Friko’s debut album is a one-stop shop, catering to whatever mood listeners might crave.”
— Luckbox Magazine
Old 97’s Celebrate 30th Anniversary with New Album American Primitive Out April 5
Thirty years after the release of their powerhouse debut Hitchhike to Rhome, alt-country pioneers Old 97’s are celebrating with the announcement of their lucky 13th studio album American Primitive that will be released on April 5 via ATO Records. Opening with the lyric “You’ve got to dance like the world is falling down around you, because it is,” American Primitive radiates with rambunctious joy even as Miller’s lyrics contend with complex questions of love and mental illness and the routinely daunting state of the world. Today, the three-decade-long lineup of singer and guitarist Rhett Miller, bassist Murry Hammond, guitarist Ken Bethea, and drummer Philip Peeples released the official video for first single “Where The Road Goes” which features Peter Buck on guitar.
Watch the official video for “Where The Road Goes.”
“I was in Montana and found myself on the banks of the Blackfoot River, watching the water pounding with a ferocious power, and I started building this song as a statement of gratitude for having survived this long,” explains Miller. “It revisits some of the darkest moments of my life, including a suicide attempt at age 14 that by all rights I shouldn’t have lived through and yet somehow did. In a way it’s like a spiritual travelogue that rolls back through all the places that shaped me for better or worse, and ends up in this beautiful place that I felt so thankful to experience.”
Produced by Tucker Martine (My Morning Jacket, The Decemberists, Neko Case) and featuring iconic guest musicians like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of The Young Fresh Fellows and The Minus 5, the album took shape in a series of deliberately whirlwind sessions at Flora Studio in Portland, Oregon. “This was the first record we’ve ever done with zero pre-production,” Miller points out. “It’s us working completely on instinct, leaning on 30 years of playing together to come up with something on the fly rather than overthinking any of our choices.”
The album’s title was lifted from a bit of fictional art criticism in Stephen King’s psych-horror novel Duma Key and experienced a full-circle moment when King himself tweeted the news about the album early. In choosing the cover art for American Primitive, Old 97’s selected a painting created by Hammond’s 17-year-old son Tex Hammond — a prodigious talent who, at age 14, became the youngest artist ever to exhibit at the prestigious LA Art Show. It’s a fitting choice for a band who’ve maintained a certain youthful exuberance more than three decades into their career, and for an album in which a palpable sense of wonder prevails despite its world-weary undercurrent.
“Over the last year of touring in celebration of our 30th anniversary, it’s been impossible not to feel some emotion welling up at the idea that my bandmates and I have been in this close brotherhood for so long,” says Miller. “I think a lot of that longevity has to do with the fact that we’re really the same band we were back then. We’ve experimented with pushing in different directions, and we’ve had experiences outside the band where we’ve learned new things, but the way we approach this music has fundamentally remained the same. Our heart is still in the exact same place.”
Old 97’s will kick off a spring west coast tour in Santa Fe, NM on April 3 and make stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and more. Find a full list of tour dates below or visit their website.
Early Acclaim for Old 97’s American Primitive:
“If it’s the end of the world as we know it, this is the record we want to hear to push us on through to the next level.”
– Rosanne Cash
“Little did you know, Jerry Lee Lewis and Leonard Cohen had a bunch of bastard children that were raised in a dumpster behind a bar in Amarillo and their names are the Old 97’s.”
– Rainn Wilson
“This is all I’ll be listening to until the next Old 97’s album.”
– Tig Notaro
American Primitive tracklist:
1) Falling Down
2) Somebody
3) American Primitive
4) Where The Road Goes
5) Honeypie
6) By The End Of The Night
7) Masterpiece
8) Incantation
9) Magic
10) Western Stars
11) Chased The Setting Sun
12) This World
13) Estuviera Cayendo
Tour Dates:
4/3 – Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewery
4/4 – Tucson, AZ – Hotel Congress
4/5 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace
4/6 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
4/7 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
4/8 – Morro Bay, CA – The Siren
4/9 – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
4/11 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
4/12 – Bend, OR – Domino Room
4/13 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
4/14 –Seattle, WA – The Showbox
4/16 – Missoula, MT – The Wilma
4/17 – Bozeman, MT – The ELM
4/18 – Billings, MT – Pub Station – Ballroom
4/19 – Laramie, WY – Gryphon Theatre
4/20 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
4/21 – Jackson, WY – Jackson Hole Center for the Arts – Center Theater
Grace Cummings Announces New Album ‘Ramona’ Out April 5
Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings has released “On and On” the first single to be taken from her upcoming third album Ramona to be released April 5 via ATO Records. Cummings has been quietly making a name for herself with a string of impressive releases, praised by the likes of The Guardian, Pitchfork, NPR Music and Billboard for her riveting, powerful voice and intense, blues-inflected songwriting. Ramona – her finest and most captivating work yet – was recorded in Topanga Canyon with acclaimed producer Jonathan Wilson (Angel Olsen, Father John Misty, Margo Price) puts Cummings’ rich vocals and dramatic storytelling front and center.
Today’s track release comes with an accompanying video featuring the singer bathed in amber light – directed by James Gorter.
STREAM “ON AND ON” HERE
WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO HERE
Ramona is a work of raw truth rendered in its most beautiful form. In a departure from the self-produced approach of her 2019 debut Refuge Cove and its 2022 follow-up Storm Queen—the Melbourne-based artist dreamed up a lavishly orchestrated sound that fully accommodates the depth and scope of her vocal prowess. With its visceral reflection on grief and self-destruction and emotional violence, Ramona brings a stunning new grandeur to Cummings’ music while refusing to soften or temper its humanity.
Recorded at Wilson’s Fivestar Studios in Topanga Canyon, Ramona came to life in collaboration with a stacked lineup of musicians that includes harpist Mary Lattimore and string arranger/multi-instrumentalist Drew Erickson (Weyes Blood, Mitski, Lana Del Rey). “I wanted everything and the kitchen sink on this record, to make it as big and dramatic as possible and show a whole range of colors,” says Cummings. “Jonathan and all the other musicians are so incredibly good at what they do, and so considered in their approach, but there was also a sense of fun and lightness in the studio that allowed me to be myself.” Featuring Cummings on guitar and piano and Wilson on guitar, drums, banjo, and organ, Ramona ultimately serves as a dazzling showcase for the voice once hailed by The Guardian as “powerful enough to pound granite into dust.”
Also an accomplished stage actor, Cummings imbues all of Ramona with an unbridled theatricality—an element on glorious display in the album’s title track. “I wrote that at a time when I wasn’t doing well and had the sense that other people saw me as a weak little bird,” says Cummings, who mined inspiration from Bob Dylan’s 1964 song “To Ramona.” “I didn’t want to be myself so I decided to be Ramona instead, full of intensity and melodrama. For me there’s a lot of safety in putting on a costume or a mask; sometimes it feels like the only way to express any true honesty or vulnerability.”
Cummings hopes that Ramona might provide her audience with a similar sense of relief and release. “A lot of the time the only way for me to process what’s happening in my life is to write about it,” she says. “So it’s a deeply personal record. But I hope that people come away from this album feeling like the songs were written just for them. Because they were, in a way. Watching the deeply personal evolve into something that’s shared by so many different people makes me feel less lonely in this world.“
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
Wed 15 May – Forest National – Brussels Belgium *
Thu 16 May – Stadthalle – Offenbach, Germany *
Sat 18 May – Forum Karlin – Prague, Czechia *
Sun 19 May – Arena Wien – Vienna, Austria *
Mon 20 May – Columbiahalle – Berlin, Germany *
Tue 21 May – Kantine am Berghain – Berlin, Germany
Thu 23 May – AFAS Live – Amsterdam, Netherlands *
Fri 24 May – 100 Club – London, United Kingdom
Sun 26 May – Olympia – Liverpool, United Kingdom *
Mon 27 May – Usher Hall – Edinburgh, United Kingdom *
Wed 29 May – Civic Halls – Wolverhampton, United Kingdom *
Thu 30 May – Bristol Beacon – Bristol, United Kingdom *
Fri 31 May – Brighton Dome – Brighton, United Kingdom *
Sun 02 Jun – Maifeld Derby – Mannheim, Germany
Mon 03 Jun – Import Export – Munich, Germany
Tue 04 Jun – Unaltrofestival @ Circolo Magnolia – Milan, Italy *
Fri 07 Jun – La Boule Noire – Paris, France
Wed 12 Jun – Bergenfest – Bergen, Norway
*King Gizzard Support
Chicano Batman Announce New Studio Album ‘Notebook Fantasy’
Leveling up in 2024, acclaimed psych-soul band and Los Angeles institution Chicano Batman will unveil their much-anticipated new album, Notebook Fantasy, on March 29 via ATO Records. Pre-save/pre-order HERE. It notably marks their fifth full-length LP and first since 2020. The group heralds its arrival with the new single and music video “Fly” out now.
Listen HERE. Watch the music video HERE.
Once again, Chicano Batman stretch boundaries and magnify the scope of their striking signature sound with panache, poise, and passion. Throughout the album, produced by GRAMMY Award winner John Congleton (Erykah Badu, Death Cab For Cutie, St. Vincent), the musicians lace gritty soul with arena-size ambition projected out loud through artful electric guitar, unshakable grooves, and entrancing earworm melodies. “Fly” lifts off with an anthemic hook chanted like an invitation, “I wanna fly with you.”
On the new single, the band shares, “‘Fly’ is a song that you hope for as a songwriter. Lighting in a bottle, straight up! It’s the kind that comes organically from the universe, and if you get out of the way, it takes shape effortlessly into the song it needs to be. Like a river flowing and weaving seamlessly through its banks. This song’s creation process was euphoric and full of many inspired and memorable moments in the studio from beginning to end. We hope those sentiments translate to you, the listener!”
Simultaneously, the accompanying visual, directed by sisters Juliana and Nicola Giraffe, translates this energy to the screen in cinematic fashion. The ultra-camp 70s inspired clip features Bardo Martinez adorned in pearls and heavy makeup, Eduardo Arenas in a fringed cowboy suit, and Carlos Arévalo shredding a gold glittering guitar. Complete with a heart backdrop and flying dove, the music video is a lighthearted celebration of love.
A product of Los Angeles’s unmatched melting pot of cultures and vibes, Chicano Batman remains a hometown favorite and has popped off as an international phenomenon. Bringing the new material to life, the band will launch an extensive North American tour in 2024. They hit the road on April 19 in Las Vegas, NV at Brooklyn Bowl, visit major markets coast-to-coast, and return home for a massive gig at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CA on June 29. This run closes out on June 30 in San Francisco, CA at Stern Grove Festival at Sigmund Stern Grove. The group will be joined by acclaimed Colombian-Canadian singer-songwriter Lido Pimienta and El Monte’s The Red Pears along the tour. Check out the full confirmed itinerary below.
Be on the lookout for more news and surprises from Chicano Batman.
Get ready to experience Notebook Fantasy in 2024.
Notebook Fantasy Tracklist:
- Live Today
- Notebook Fantasy
- Parallels
- Beautiful Daughter
- Era Primavera
- Fly
- Lei Lá
- Tears Away (feat. Say She She)
- The Way You Say It (feat. Say She She)
- Hojas Secas
- Losing My Mind (feat. Say She She)
- Fairytale Love (feat. Say She She)
Chicano Batman Tour Dates
4/19 Las Vegas, NV Brooklyn Bowl*
4/20 Phoenix, AZ Van Buren*
4/21 Albuquerque, NM The El Rey Theater*
4/22 El Paso, TX Lowbrow Palace*
4/24 Oklahoma City, OK Tower Theatre*
4/25 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall*
4/26 Austin, TX Austin Psych Fest @ The Far Out Lounge
4/27 Dallas, TX The Factory*
4/28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues*
5/1 Bentonville, AR The Momentary*
5/2 St. Louis, MO Delmar Hall*
5/3 Nashville, TN Brooklyn Bowl*
5/4 Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Festival
5/7 Richmond, VA The National*
5/8 Washington, DC 9:30 Club*
5/9 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel*
5/10 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club*
5/11 North Adams, MA Hunter Center Mass Moca*
5/12 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer*
5/15 Columbus, OH The Bluestone*
5/16 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue*
5/17 Chicago, IL Salt Shed*
5/18 Minneapolis, MN Uptown Theater*
6/20 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre*
6/21 Portland, OR Roseland Theater*
6/22 Boise, ID Knitting Factory*
6/24 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot*
6/25 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre*
6/26 Taos, NM Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership*
6/28 San Diego, CA Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre*
6/29 Los Angeles, CA The Kia Forum*^
6/30 San Francisco, CA TBA
8/29 Amsterdam, NL Tolhuistuin
8/31 Manchester, UK Manchester Psych Fest
9/3 London, UK Lafayette
9/4 Paris, FR La Maroquinerie
Openers:
* Lido Pimienta
^ The Red Pears
Dylan LeBlanc Announces Coyote (Expanded Edition)
Celebrated singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Dylan LeBlanc has just announced the expanded edition of his critically-acclaimed 2023 album Coyote, out January 19th via ATO Records.
To celebrate the expanded edition, LeBlanc is releasing the beautiful ballad “Let It Rain,” one of the four new studio tracks from the Coyote sessions that will be available on the extended release. Other previously unreleased songs on the expanded edition include “Day By Day” “Fortune Teller” and “Angel.” The new version also features five live performances, recorded at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Coyote is a semi-autobiographical concept album centered on the character of Coyote, a man on the run from his past. The album was produced by LeBlanc and recorded at the legendary FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, AL, the area where he watched his father perform and began his own career. His rich lyrics reflect the wisdom and endurance of a tough childhood spent between Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. But while he has experienced hardships, LeBlanc is an example of how beauty comes from perseverance. LeBlanc’s U.S. tour begins January 17th in New Orleans and runs through March. A full list of dates is below
2024 U.S. Tour Dates
January 17 – New Orleans, LA – Chickie Wah
January 18 – Muscle Shoals, AL – For The Record
January 19 – Nashville, TN – Basement East
January 20 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy
January 23 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Music House
January 24 – Philadelphia, PA – MilkBoy Philadelphia
January 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Baby’s All Right
January 26 – Fairfield, CT – Stage One
January 27 – Woodstock, NY – Colony Woodstock
January 28 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works
January 30 – Toronto, ON – The Drake
February 1 – Chicago, IL – Sleeping Village
February 2 – Milwaukee, WI – Cactus Club
February 3 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
February 6 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads
February 7 – Denver, CO – Lost Lake
February 9 – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Block Party
February 10 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
February 11 – Bend, OR – Volcanic Theatre Pub
February 13 – Seattle, OR – Barboza
February 14 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
February 16 – San Francisco, CA – Chapel
February 17 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
February 18 – San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brew
February 20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Moroccan
February 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
February 23 – Fort Collins, CO – Magic Rat
February 24 – Colorado Springs, CO – Lulu’s Downstairs
February 27 – Oklahoma City, OH – Ponyboy
February 29 – Ft. Worth, TX – Tulips
March 1 – Houston, TX – Continental
March 2 – Austin, TX – Sagebrush
Friko Presents New Single “For Ella” From Debut Album Out Feb. 16
Today, Chicago band Friko — vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger — presents their new single/video, “For Ella,” from their forthcoming debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, out February 16, 2024 on ATO Records. Where we’ve been, Where we go from here achieves a dreamlike grandeur on “For Ella,” a love song sketched by Kapetan after visiting a graveyard in Wisconsin. In bringing the piano-laced reverie to life, Friko worked with violinist and Chicago stalwart Macie Stewart, as well as cellistAlejandro Quiles, elevating the track into a quietly symphonic epic touched with a lovely melancholy.
Following lead single “Crashing Through,” the “For Ella” video is again helmed by Alice Avery (a testament to Friko’s tight-knit group of friends and collaborators) and is a feat in stop-motion animation, vividly translating the song’s fabled qualities. “‘For Ella’ is our ode to classical music and we knew from the beginning we wanted the song to go side by side with a stop motion video,” says the band. “We’ve been working with our close friend Alice Avery, who also went to the same high school as us, on various videos, but the connection between this video and song feel particularly special to us.”
Watch Friko’s “For Ella” Video
It’s been an exciting few weeks since Friko announced Where we’ve been, Where we go from here. Paste ran an in-depth feature on the band and Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, and Guitar World all covered “Crashing Through” as well. The song was also featured on Spotify’s New Music Friday, All New Indie, Today’s Indie Rock, and Fresh Finds Rock playlists in addition to the New Noise cover. “Crashing Through” continues the success of “Crimson to Chrome,” a downhearted yet exultant track that reigned #1 on the Sirius XMU chart for three weeks, graced the cover of Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist, and garnered acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, FLOOD, and Consequence, who praised Friko for “carrying on the great Chicago musical tradition of unpretentious fun.”
Watch “Crashing Through” Video
Watch “Crimson to Chrome” Lyric Video
The band is currently on tour, having just completed a run of East Coast shows in Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and New York City last week. They’ll continue across the Midwest this weekend with shows in Milwaukee and Madison. More dates will be announced soon!
Friko Tour Dates
Sat. Dec. 9 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
Sun. Dec. 10 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
An essential new addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. On their full-length debut and first release for ATO Records, the band merges elements of post-punk and chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying their music’s exhilarating power with a steady barrage of spirited gang vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here brings an equally visceral intensity to brutally heavy anthems and heart-on-sleeve ballads alike, creating an immediate outlet for the most unwieldy emotions.
Formed in 2019, Friko soon began taking the stage at legendary Chicago venues like the Metro, Empty Bottleand Schubas Tavern, self-releasing their acclaimed debut EP Whenever Forever in 2022 and making their festival debut at Bonnaroo the following spring. Known for their high-energy live show, Friko aim to deliver a live experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Jack Henry and Scott Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations. Friko hopes that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanizing impact on audiences. Niko says, “I want our music to pick people up, so that they can actually go out and do something with whatever they’re feeling.”
Pre-order Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
Download hi-res images & jpegs of Friko
“Friko are animated, direct and vividly in-sync. And the world has never needed that kind of joyous, purposeful brilliance more than it does right now.” — Paste
“Bouncing and woozily melodic, the first single from Chicago two-piece Friko’s debut album drops discordance alongside brainworm hooks.” — Guitar World
“[‘Crashing Through’ is] a sweeping and hooky indie rock song with a great sense of dynamics.” — Brooklyn Vegan
Friko Announce Debut Album ‘Where we’ve been, Where we go from here’
Today, Chicago band Friko announces their debut album, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, outFebruary 16th, 2024 on ATO Records, and presents lead single/video “Crashing Through.” An essential new addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko — vocalist/guitarist Niko Kapetan and drummer Bailey Minzenberger — transform every song into a moment of collective catharsis. On the wildly sprawling “Crashing Through,” Friko delve deeper into the album-wide theme that Kapetan encapsulates as “wanting better for yourself and the people around you, but wondering how you can possibly do that with the world we live in,” channeling both despair and glory in the song’s choir-like vocals. “It wasn’t intentional for us to have group vocals all over this record,” Kapetan points out, noting that album co-producers Scott Tallarida and Jack Henry, along with several close friends, joined the band in singing backup. “It just happened naturally because we all kept singing along.”
The accompanying “Crashing Through” video — directed by Alec Basse — is a transportive encapsulation of Friko’s music. Filmed in Chicago and featuring appearances from the band’s sprawling network of friends and fellow artists, it exudes a sense of community that is inherent to Friko. Recorded within their friend group on a shoe-string budget paid out of the band’s own pocket, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is a testament to Chicago’s storied DIY ethos.
“Crashing Through” follows the success of “Crimson to Chrome,” a downhearted yet exultant track that reigned #1 on the Sirius XMU chart for three weeks, graced the cover of Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist, and garnered acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, FLOOD, and Consequence, who praised Friko for “carrying on the great Chicago musical tradition of unpretentious fun.” Later this month, Friko will tour their thrilling live show across North America. Known for their high-energy performances, Friko aim to deliver an experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc.
Watch Friko’s “Crashing Through” Video
At the heart of Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is the powerful emotional connection Friko’s members have cultivated since childhood. As kids growing up in the Chicago suburbs, Kapetan and former bassist / founding member Luke Stamos became friends in kindergarten, and eventually crossed paths with Minzenberger in high school. Raised in a musical family — their dad is a jazz/classical guitarist, their older sister is a singer — Minzenberger began playing drums at age 10 and later took up guitar, bass, and piano. Noting that “music was always going to be my only option,” Kapetan also got his start as a drummer and, like Minzenberger, played in bands all throughout high school. “My dad loved music and played guitar when he was younger but ended up getting into the restaurant business,” he says. “He owned a few homestyle diners and when I was growing up a lot of musicians would come in and I’d get to talk to them, which definitely had an effect on me.”
Formed in 2019, Friko soon began taking the stage at legendary Chicago venues like the Metro, Empty Bottle and Schubas Tavern, self-releasing their acclaimed debut EP Whenever Forever in 2022 and making their festival debut at Bonnaroo the following spring. Mainly recorded live at Tallarida’s studio Trigger Chicago,Where we’ve been, Where we go from here was a DIY endeavor completed before Friko’s signing to ATO, enlisting the talents of friends like Eli Schmitt (creator of the album artwork), video director Alice Avery, and tour manager Stas Slyvka. “So much of this record happened because of friends helping us out, like Scott letting us use his studio,” says Kapetan. “It’s also an event space, so there’d be times when Scott, Jack, and I would be working on mixing the record with a town-hall meeting going on in the next room.” In every step of the process, that self-reliance allowed for an unfettered freedom that often led to moments of transcendence.
Where we’ve been, Where we go from here merges elements of post-punk and chamber-pop and experimental rock, magnifying Friko’s exhilarating power with a steady barrage of spirited gang vocals. Poetic, explosive, and sublimely raw in feeling, the album brings an equally visceral intensity to brutally heavy anthems and heart-on-sleeve ballads alike, creating an immediate outlet for the most unwieldy emotions. Mastered by Heba Kadry(Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Henry and Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations. “Chopin is one of my favorite composers, and the feeling I get from listening to his nocturnes is the same sort of deep, loving sorrow that I get from playing music with Niko,” says Minzenberger. “I wish I could understand why listening to solo piano music and playing really heavy rock songs can create the same very palpable feeling—but at the same time, I don’t want to understand it.”
With the release of Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, Friko hope that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanizing impact on the audience. “One of the main things we want to do as a band is talk about what’s happening right now and everything we’re feeling, with an honesty and directness that gets through to people,” says Kapetan. “I hope that our music helps everyone feel more deeply, but in a way that goes beyond just reacting to the songs. I want it to pick people up, so that they can actually go out and do something with whatever they’re feeling.”
Pre-order Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
Where we’ve been, Where we go from here Tracklist
- Where We’ve Been
- Crimson to Chrome
- Crashing Through
- For Ella
- Chemical
- Statues
- Until I’m With You Again
- Get Numb To It!
- Cardinal
Neal Francis Releases ‘Francis Comes Alive’
Watch “Don’t Want You To Know” Live At Thalia Hall
Neal Francis has released his ambitious first live album ‘Francis Comes Alive’ via royal grape vinyl and digital formats. Recorded live at a sold out show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, ‘Francis Comes Alive’ is an electric body of work. Francis expanded his normal quartet into an eleven-piece freight train of a band featuring a horn section, percussion, backup vocalists, and keyboards. Ever the analog purist, the album was recorded direct to 1″ tape, mixed by Chris Connors (Bartees Strange, Lady Wray, El Michels Affair), and mastered by JJ Golden. There are no edits, nor overdubs–this is Francis at his best.
The live album is accompanied by a concert film, Francis Comes Alive: The Movie, which is available now via nugs.net. The film was recorded to analog tape at the Thalia Hall show in Chicago and was directed by Alec Basse.
The film will also be screened in-person at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago on Nov 27. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Neal and Alec Basse, moderated by Ryan Arnold of 93XRT.
Francis Comes Alive expanded 11-piece band tour dates begin this month.
2023-2024 Tour Dates
Nov 3 – Anchorage, AK – Bear Tooth Theatrepub>
Dec 6 – Richmond, VA – The National*
Dec 7 – Washington, DC – The Atlantis* (SOLD OUT)
Dec 8 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer*
Dec 9 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg* (75 Tickets Left!)
Jan 2 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up
2023 Francis Comes Alive Tour Dates
Nov 30 – Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall*
Dec 1 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse*
Dec 2 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel*
Dec 3 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre*
Dec 31 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre^
> with SunDog
* with The Psycodelics
^ with The Texas Gentlemen
Zooey Celeste Presents New Single “Big Trouble” (with Tei Shi)
Zooey Celeste presents the new single/video, “Big Trouble” (with Tei Shi), from his debut album, Restless Thoughts, out this Friday, November 10th on ATO. On the Nick Hakim-produced “Big Trouble,” Colombian-Canadian singer/songwriter Tei Shi (aka Valerie Teicher Barbosa) joins Zooey for a sublime piece of surrealist dance-pop that channels a deep longing for psychic liberation. As Zooey reveals, the song emerged through pure unbridled spontaneity. “Nick and Jake [Portrait, of Unknown Mortal Orchestra] were working on a track for another artist and I asked if I could sing on it, and we used what came out in my first take — it was just a crazy burst of raw confidence,” he recalls. “Later on Val came in and heard it, and we ended up singing it together and collaborating on developing the rest of the track. She literally plucked out that what I was singing sounded like the words ‘big trouble,’ and her hook became the thing that tied the whole song together.”
Tei Shi adds: “I personally love this song so much. It came out of a long and wild night in the studio with Zooey and Nick and Danny [Hakim] – I think we started about 7 other songs that night. They played me the initial demo for this one, which they’d already started, and Zooey sang his parts over it. As soon as I heard the idea it was clear to me that it was a really special song. I came up with my little hook and we laid it all down as we wrote it. A few months later I got the finished version and I love how true it stayed to what we did that night! It’s a classic back and forth between two people who don’t really know if what they want is each other, but it’s playful and fun in a way that I haven’t heard indie songs be in a while.”
The accompanying “Big Trouble” video by Camryn Eakes (director/choreographer/writer) and Tylre Wilcox (DP/cinematographer) is Zooey’s debut music video and comes with a sequel for the album’s title track, “Restless Thoughts,” next week. Eakes says, “I wanted to make a video that reflected the desperation and harmony I hear in ‘Big Trouble.’ I focused on an idea that mimics a cold and numb cat-and-mouse chase, but also illustrates the lingering magnetism and care between the two characters. Overall, exploring the notion of living in a cycle of knowing that your relationship isn’t going to last, while still performing in it and reflecting on the joyful moments. This is their one last hurrah.”
“Zooey wanted to move and dance in both the ‘Restless Thoughts’ and ‘Big Trouble’ videos, so first we created a movement language for ‘Restless’ softly based on yoga and surfing, two of his daily practices,” continues Eakes. “We then reworked and adapted that choreography to fit ‘Big Trouble’ and played with other ideas and character development in the studio.” “We designed ‘Restless Thoughts’ to display Zooey’s internal struggle and mental spiral and ‘Big Trouble’ to illustrate what led him to his breaking point,” adds Wilcox, who has also worked with Willow Smith and Vans. “‘Restless Thoughts’ had to live in a dark, gritty world. ‘Big Trouble’ on the other hand I wanted to feel a bit more optimistic so we decided to go a bit brighter, warmer and richer in color.”
Zooey will also perform his first LA headline and record release show in support of Restless Thoughts at Genghis Cohen this Friday, November 10th. He’ll follow that up with his debut NYC headline and record release show at Baby’s All Right on Saturday, November 18th.
Watch/Stream Zooey Celeste’s “Big Trouble” (with Tei Shi)
Restless Thoughts is the real-life manifestation of its creator’s alter ego — an astral shaman responsible for leading the newly departed into the great beyond. After dreaming up the character of Zooey Celeste in a feverishly written novel he refers to as “somewhere between Quentin Tarantino and the Bhagavad Gita,” Zooey began working to create this ideal soundtrack for nocturnal driving, an immediate conduit for lasting transcendence. Alongside Nick Hakim, Zooey enlisted a wide array of guest musicians to flesh out the sound of Restless Thoughts, including Jake Portrait, Tei Shi, and drummer Abe Rounds (Andrew Bird, Blake Mills, Devandra Banhart), with mastering by Heba Kadry (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Björk, Julianna Barwick). With the release of Restless Thoughts, Zooey hopes to instill the audience with an expanded sense of possibility.
“Zooey Celeste specializes in a quietly driving psychedelic pop that explodes but never grazes the red. His voice has traces of Spencer Krug’s warbling, mad prophet quality, delivering loving exhortations over compositions that sound fresh off a reel-to-reel plugged directly into his heart.” — The FADER
“dark and hazy, dreamy yet lucid, relentless but wavy – it’s pretty captivating.” — DIY Magazine
“There’s just something really special about Zooey Celeste.” — BBC Radio 6
“‘Cosmic Being’ is a lo-fi track filled with aching serenity.” — Paste