Tour Dates

New York-based singer/songwriter Jay Brannan will celebrate the release of his highly-anticipated sophomore album Rob Me Blind (out March 27) with a special hometown show at Le Poisson Rouge on Friday, March 23 at 8:00pm. (Tickets on sale here: http://bit.ly/xgdS55.)

Brannan released his critically lauded debut album goddamned in 2008, but first gained attention with his role in John Cameron Mitchell’s 2006 indie film Shortbus, where he performed his original song, “Soda Shop.” For his sophomore effort, he teams up with Grammy-winning producer David Kahne (Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney, The Bangles), who brings instrumental textures to Jay’s songwriting, hinting at a slightly new direction for the minimalist artist while maintaining the signature qualities of a Jay Brannan album: brutal honesty, sharp wit, and sparkling melodies.

Glasgow's Admiral Fallow (an NPR "Band to Watch" at SXSW 2011 and Paste Magazine's #3 Top International tip in the USA for 2012) have had an exciting couple of weeks. “Squealing Pigs,” their foot-stomping, clarinet-driven, sing-along single from their critically acclaimed debut album Boots Met My Face, was the soundtrack to a GE commercial that made its network television premiere during Super Bowl XLVI to an estimated audience of over 111 million. The track was also used in an episode of NBC’s Chuck. The track, already a favorite in the UK, was released in North America on February 5, 2012 as a digital single on Lo-Five Records via INgrooves and features newly designed artwork. Get it here.

The band has just completed their sophomore album, which will be released via their new label home, Nettwerk, in May. The upcoming release was mixed by Paul Savage at Glasgow’s Chem 19 (Mogwai, King Creosote) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Bon Iver, The National, Battles) at Sterling Sound NYC. More album details will follow, but in the meantime,  Admiral Fallow has just announced an extensive UK tour starting April 22, 2012.

"Beetle in The Box," the first single to be taken from the new album, received its debut spin on Huw Stephens BBC Radio 1 show on January 25 and has had subsequent plays on Radio 2 and BBC 6Music, XFM etc. The band is offering fans the chance to download the single for free from their site www.admiralfallow.com, for a limited time. Keep reading for full list of UK tour dates. 

State Radio - "Roadway Broken" [Free MP3 at stateradio.com] by nettwerkmusicgroup

It's been almost two years, but State Radio will be crossing the pond this May to play nine shows in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. The band will be playing favorites as well current track, “Roadway Broken,” from their forthcoming full length album.



Calling All Crows is also looking for volunteers to serve on Alternative Break Tour 7 in Germany! Alternative Break Tours are unique volunteer trips for music fans looking to create change through hands-on service and activism. Volunteers will travel together in a sleepervan through Frankfurt, Bochum, and Hamburg; volunteer with some incredible NGOs each day; and catch State Radio on stage each night! For more information, please visit www.callingallcrows.org/abt-application

European tour dates:

22 May - Vienna, Austria @ Flex
23 May - Munich, Germany @ Backstage Halle
24 May - Zurich, Switzerland @ Dynamo
26 May - Frankfurt, Germany @ Batschkapp
27 May - Bochum, Germany @ Zeche
29 May - Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
30 May - Berlin, Germany @ Lido
31 May - Koln, Germany @ Gloria
01 June - Stuttgart, Germany @ Universum

The Submarines will join Ra Ra Riot on a few west coast dates at the end of February.  In anticipation of the dates, the bands are offering their fans two free remixes: The Submarines' remix of Ra Ra Riot song "Oh, La" and the Ra Ra Riot Remix of The Submarines track "Submarine Symphonika."  Grab the free downloads on SoundCloud HERE. 

Last month, The Submarines released The Shoelaces EP, featuring six tracks including covers of New Order's "Your Silent Face" and Jesus And Mary Chain's "Just Like Honey," along with 4-tracked versions of album tracks.  

The Submarines With Ra Ra Riot Tour Dates:
Wed, Feb 22   Los Angeles, CA @ The El Rey
Thur, Feb 23  San Diego, CA @ The Belly Up Tavern
Fri, Feb 24      Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room

Great Lake Swimmers have announced U.S. tour dates in support of the April 3 release date of New Wild Everywhere, their fifth studio album and follow up to 2009’s Juno and Polaris-nominated album Lost Channels. The tour kicks off Tuesday, May 1 in Chicago at Lincoln Hall; pre-sale packages are currently available on the band’s website (www.greatlakeswimmers.com), with the general on-sale beginning Friday, January 27. Support act Cold Specks will join the band on the North American leg of the tour. The band has also confirmed that they will be appearing in Austin, TX during SXSW, with show details to follow. See below for a full list of tour dates, including previously announced Canadian and European dates.

In other news, this week PasteMagazine.com premiered a new music video (here) for lead single “Easy Come Easy Go,” which was digitally released on January 17. The video was directed by Scott Cudmore (Rural Alberta Advantage, Timber Timbre), shot in one take and showcases the band performing in a studio in their hometown of Toronto as the set gets deconstructed around them. Watch the video above and keep reading for more information and full list of tour dates.

Photo Credit: Christine Merson

Singer/songwriter Jay Brannan returns to the UK in April for a set of dates in support of his anticipated sophomore full-length album, out early 2012. “Beautifully,” the first official single from the album, will be released Tuesday, January 17 (Monday, January 16 in UK). See below for a full list of tour dates.

“Beautifully” showcases Jay’s talent for storytelling as he shares the plight of a person falling for a close friend whose attraction lies only in the realm of the platonic. The track, along with the entire upcoming album, was produced by Grammy-winning producer David Kahne (Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney, The Bangles, Lana Del Rey, etc.), who adds instrumental textures to Jay’s songwriting, hinting at a slightly new direction for the minimalist artist.

Keep reading for tour dates. 

fun. has announced details of their upcoming North American tour. The headline trek begins February 29th at South Burlington, Vermont’s Higher Ground and then continues through early May (see itinerary below). Tickets go on sale on December 10th, with a pre-sale beginning today – for complete details, please visit www.ournameisfun.com.

The dates celebrate the upcoming release of the band’s eagerly awaited Fueled By Ramen debut, Some Nights. The album – which includes the breakthrough single, “We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)” – arrives in stores and at all digital retailers on February 21st, 2012. A complete tracklisting for Some Nights has just been announced (see below).

Having earned widespread acclaim with their 2009 debut album, Aim and Ignite, fun. decided to raise the stakes with Some NIghts by teaming with noted producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Drake). The band and Bhasker have worked to evolve the idiosyncratic fun. sound by marrying their robust melodies with elements of hip-hop.

“We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe),” which is available now via all major digital retailers, has received major airplay from KCRW’s influential Morning Becomes Eclectic, while USA Today applauded the “baroque indie-popsters” for “(making) a counterintuitive play for the big time, slowing down for the massive sing-along chorus.”

(Keep reading for Some Nights tracklisting, tour dates and more information.)

Out Today, Chadwick Stokes (State Radio, Dispatch) & Friends release Live At The Armory on Ruff Shod/Nettwerk Records. Live At The Armory was recorded over two nights at the annual Calling All Crows’ benefit shows in December 2009. Featured tracks include State Radio classics - "Calling All Crows," "Keepsake," "Gang Of Thieves" - in addition to inspired covers of The Rolling Stones’ "Sweet Black Angel," Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country," Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me," and others. To listen to the album and view full track list, see below.

Next year, State Radio (fronted by Stokes) is set to contribute their rendition of Bob Dylan’s “John Brown” to Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan Honouring 50 Years Of Amnesty International. The four-disc collection includes 75 newly recorded Bob Dylan covers by over 80 artists, including Elvis Costello, Adele, Jackson Brown, Tom Morello, Queens Of The Stone Age, Miley Cyrus, Patti Smith, Diana Krall and others. Chimes Of Freedom is executive produced by Jeff Ayeroff and Julie Yanatta and scheduled for physical release on January 24th in the US and January 30th internationally.

In the meantime, be sure to catch Chadwick Stokes & The Pintos on tour. Dates below.

In advance of next year’s stateside tour & to promote his current European jaunt, William Fitzsimmons shares live footage with UK-blog This Is Fake DIY. The acoustic performance of “Wounded Head” from his 2011 album, Gold In The Shadow, was filmed at the Brillobox in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.  Full tour dates below.

The acoustic track is also part of a collection of stripped down songs on the Gold In The Shadow (Deluxe) set for digital release on December 20th. With the purchase of the digital deluxe, fans will get an additional 14 bonus tracks featuring 3 previously unavailable recordings. For fans that already have a copy of the standard version, tracks from the deluxe edition will be made available as a separate set, Gold In The Shadow (Bonus Material). As an added treat, there’s an expanded digital booklet.

Partnering with Lacoste, UK–based The Rifles, premiere the official music video for “Sweetest Thing.” Directed by Ferry Gouw (Major Lazer, Roxy Music, Simian Mobile Disco, Bloc Party), the video is a collage of handpicked video and photo images mixed in with band footage.

Featuring Paul Weller on guitars, the anthemic “Sweetest Thing” is from the band’s third full-length album, Freedom Run (out now). Recorded at Paul Weller’s Black Barn studio and produced by the legendary Chris Potter (The Clash, The Rolling Stones, The Verve), Freedom Run is shaping up to be their most accomplished album to date, developing the band’s sound into something fresh and energized, while maintaining all the hallmarks of a classic. Critical responses, so far: