winter

We're still chipping away at this new record. Definitely in the homestretch. Working out label plans. You'll see... You'll all see.

a show

Return

Back from tour. Very solid overall. Parenthetical Girls are better than ever, wonderful new line up. Brother Sam Mickens inspired us night and day. Thanks to everyone who came out. Extra special thanks to younger fans and to anyone from smaller towns who drove a ways to see us. Feels real, feels good.

Parenthetical Girls / Extra Life split 12" single is now available for mail order from Last Things. No cover art, just straight Spartan wax in sleeve. Order now, if you like.

Now we're back home, mostly working on recording what will be the next full-length. It includes the brand new songs we've been playing live. No shows booked until October, although some last minute NY may happen.

the tumbrel wheel creaks,

C

BLOOD OATH TOUR U.S.

We never learn apparently. Big U.S. tour in July! What's special this time is that for the entire journey we'll be joined by the unreal Sam Mickens, performing his brand new solo music. Sam is the longtime frontman of the Dead Science, the Sam Mickens Ecstatic Showband & Revue, and he also plays in Xiu Xiu. Also, on the west coast we'll be joined by our good friends Parenthetical Girls. Those dates are marked with an * .

Speaking of Parenthetical Girls, we'll have for sale the limited edition P Girls / Extra Life 12" split single. No cover art just straight wax. It includes P Girls' cover of "Head Shrinker" and EL's cover of "I Was the Dancer". It's a split release between Slender Means Society and Last Things.

As for kickstarter prizes: I just have to bind the scores and make the mixes and I can get them out this week!

7/3 Allston, MA @ Great Scott
7/5 Biddeford, ME @ The Oak and the Ax
7/6 Montreal, Quebec @ La Sala Rosa
7/7 Toronto, Ontario @ Double Double Land
7/8 Ypsilanti, MI @ Woodruff's
7/9 Chicago, IL @ Situations (2202 N Milwaukee)
7/10 Minneapolis, MN @ Medusa
7/11 Lincoln, NE @ Bourbon Theatre
7/12 Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
7/15 Seattle, WA @ Cairo Gallery
7/16 Seattle, WA @ Hi Line *
7/17 Portland, OR @ Holocene *
7/19 San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern *
7/20 Oakland, CA @ Lobot Gallery *
7/21 Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo *
7/22 San Diego, CA @ Tin Can Gallery
7/23 Riverside, CA @ Alladin Jr.
7/24 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
7/25 El Paso, TX @ the Percolator
7/27 St. Louis, MO @ LEMP Arts
7/28 Cincinnati, OH @ Mockbee's
7/29 Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
7/30 Brooklyn, NY @ 285 Kent

Last Things update

To any NY friends, June 11 is the Last Things showcase at Zebulon. It's free, you should all come!

Speaking of Last Things : the remaining Ripped Heart vinyls from our tour are right now in mail to the U.S. and they'll arrive mid-week. So by week's end all the orders will finally be shipped out. Kickstarter donors, your packages will include the prizes, except for the melisma essay :(

I know these ongoing delays are a drag but when I think about it, there's no other way it could be.. Thanks for your patience and support! xo

European tour dates and ripped art

hi everyone,

This April tour of Europe will be short but very sweet. A nice handful of shows will be with Deerhoof which I'm truly excited about, plus we're revisiting some of the most welcoming places from last tour. Swiss ladies, set your cuckoo clocks...

18.04.2011 Ceske Budejovice (CZ) Ostinato Festival @ Velbloud
19.04.2011 Leipzig (DE) Conne Island w/ Sons of Noel and Adrian
20.04.2011 Belfort (FR) Impetus Festival w/ Deerhoof
21.04.2011 Metz (FR) Les Trinitaires w/ Deerhoof
22.04.2011 Delemont (CH) SAS
23.04.2011 Lausanne (CH) Impetus Festival w/ Deerhoof
24.04.2011 Schorndorf (DE) Manufaktur w/ Deerhoof
25.04.2011 Bielefeld (DE) AJZ w/ Liturgy
26.04.2011 Brussels (BE) Magasin 4 w/ OvO
27.04.2011 Orleans (FR) L’Atelier
28.04.2011 Paris (FR) Point Ephemere w/ Rien
29.04.2011 Cherbourg (FR) Festival La Terra Trema
30.04.2011 Nantes (FR) Les Ateliers de Bitche
01.05.2011 Lyon (FR) Africantape Festival

And here is what Ripped Heart will look like, artwork courtesy of the infinitely awesome Caroline Teagle :



It comes out on April 6 on my own brand-new label LAST THINGS (12" vinyl and U.S. digital) and on April 5 on the lovely LOAF Recordings (EU digital). You can pre-order the vinyl already from Last Things.

See you, I hope!

Charlie

Return of Extra Life

We're back to performing this Saturday. We get to feel human again. First show as the new trio, with Caley on guitar and myself on synth, Nick "Drums" Podgurski still on the throne. Much of the set is completely new, including some never-performed Ripped Heart EP material and also some even newer unrecorded songs. All three of these other bands on the bill are just fantastic.

Ripped Heart comes out in April digitally on LOAF Recordings. Four new songs. A very limited vinyl edition will be issued on my own nascent label Last Things Records, which doesn't even have a website yet. Along with the vinyl purchase we'll be offering a free download of a remix EP featuring remixes by Xiu Xiu, Former Ghosts w/Sam Mickens, Laurel Halo and Liturgy.

Some kind of touring will happen in April, not sure whether US or EU. Plans are still coming together but we'll definitely be back on the road a good amount in 2011. Fuck a job!

Charlie