EXTRA LIFE IS DEAD

dear everyone who cares,

Extra Life has officially disbanded. While it’s somewhat difficult to articulate exactly why, let’s just say that the inner creative momentum driving the band has stalled. The dissolution is completely amicable.  We’re deeply proud of everything we’ve managed to do in this little five-year period and Dream Seeds feels like a real high note to leave on. Everything we have done has felt 100% inspired and we simply don’t want to do things which no longer feel that way.

All three of us are in music for life and we’ll be cranking out records and performing in different contexts until our hearts stop. Nick’s new band Feast of the Epiphany is in full prolific force right now, with new releases and extensive US and European tours planned.  Caley is hard at work with We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves and his work as a producer and engineer. Charlie is gearing up for the debut release by his acoustic band Seaven Teares, and is rehearsing with a new as-yet-unnamed metallic band. Anyway please do stay tuned for all our individual future output as we go our separate ways and leave Extra Life behind. 

The last Extra Life show will be on January 19 in Brooklyn at 285 Kent  with our dear friends Tyondai Braxton, Sam Mickens and Oneirogen (Mario Diaz de Leon).

The deepest thanks to everyone who has supported us :  fans, friends, Northern Spy, Africantape and all the labels we’ve ever worked with, bookers, promoters… even press. You have all helped give Extra Life a real place in the Music World which, despite our complex relationship with that world, has been a true joy. We are very grateful.

onward,

Charlie, Caley and Nick

U.S. Tour

Warm thanks to all who came out to see us in Europe. Thanks of course to Africantape as well. Sorry we didn't have Dream Seeds vinyl with us but you can still order that from Northern Spy or from the Extra Life online store.

We're taking a quick breather back home and then we're doing this big U.S. tour in July. Dates below. Hope to see you...

6/30  Brooklyn NY @ Issue Project Room, Northern Spy Festival w/ Rhys Chatham and Neptune
7/3   Chapel Hill NC @ Nightlight
7/4   Atlanta GA @ Drunken Unicorn w/ Inmundane
7/6   Houston TX @ Walter's  w/ Young Mammals + sIngs
7/7   Austin TX @ Scoot Inn  w/ Weird Weeds
7/9   Albuquerque NM @ Kosmos w/ John Dieterich
7/10  Phoenix AZ @ Trunk Space w/ James Fella
7/11   San Diego CA @  Tin Can Alehouse w/ Vaginals
7/13   Los Angeles CA @ the Smell  w/ Voice on Tape
7/15   Oakland CA @ Stork Club  w/ Religious Girls, Dominique Leone, Catharsis for Cathedral + Shakes Gown
7/18   Sacramento CA @ Java Lounge  w/ Dead Western + Signifiers
7/19   Olympia WA @ Olyphant
7/20   Portland OR @ Mississippi Studios  w/ Parenthetical Girls
7/21   Seattle WA  @ Cairo Gallery  w/ the Numbs
7/23   Denver CO  @ Rhinoceropolis
7/25   St. Paul MN @ Turf Club  w/ The Funeral and the Twilight, Hollow Boys + Brute Heart
7/26   Carbondale IL  @ Skihouse  w/  Wei Zhongle
7/27   Chicago IL @ Swerp Mansion w/ Joan of Arc, Cool Memories + Oshwa
7/28   Detroit MI  @ PJ's Lager House  w/ Nebula Smile + Jumana K rZ
7/29   Toronto ON  @ Oz Studios  w/ Picastro
8/2   Brooklyn NY @ Secret Project Robot  - You Are Here (aka The Maze)

Old World Tour

high,

We're hitting Europe again. And when we hit you it will feel like a kiss.

18/05/2012 Leipzig (DE), La Familia Y Amigos Festival
19/05/2012 Berlin (DE), Westgermany
20/05/2012 Aalborg (DK), 1000 Fryd
21/05/2012 Goeteborg (SE), Koloni
22/05/2012 Oslo (NO), Klubbscenen
23/05/2012 Stockholm (SE), Mother at DFB (Debaser Slussen)
24/05/2012 Copenhagen (DK), KB18
25/05/2012 Bielefeld (DE), AJZ
26/05/2012 Frankfurt (DE), IVI
27/05/2012 Dresden (DE), Discorporate Festival
28/05/2012 Wuerzburg (DE), Kellerperle (early show)
30/05/2012 London (UK), Old Blue Last
31/05/2012 Brussels (BE), Les Ateliers Claus
01/06/2012 Roubaix (FR), L’Ara/Alcatraz
02/06/2012 Paris (FR), Fleche d'Or
03/06/2012 Lyon (FR), Sonic
04/06/2012 Montpellier (FR), Rockstore
05/06/2012 Geneva (CH), L’Usine
06/06/2012 Esslingen (DE), Villa Merkel
07/06/2012 Vienna (AT), Arena


Dream Seeds is out on CD in Europe now, on Africantape.We'll have that for sale as well as the vinyl and some brand new T-shirts. As always we are truly glad to be coming over. Hope to see you.

Extra Life

New Album

fans/friends,

We are quaking. The new album, titled "Dream Seeds", will be released on April 10 in the US and May 7 in Europe/UK/Japan, on CD, LP and digital formats. The US version will be our first release on Northern Spy Records, the highly serious new label which has been doing all kinds of things with Zs, Hubble, Rhys Chatham and more. The international version will be released by the always wonderful Africantape , who we're amped to still be working with.

Here's what it will look like, courtesy of Caroline Teagle :




"Dream Seeds" is definitely a concept album, the themes of which I won't elaborate on here, but it's very much of a piece. The record includes all the previously unrecorded songs we've been playing live for the past year, plus a couple never-performed songs, all tough-lovingly recorded by Extra Life's own Caley Monahon-Ward, in collaboration with Ben Greenberg :

1. No Dreams Tonight
2. Righteous Seed
3. Discipline for Edwin
4. Little One
5. First Song
6. Blinded Beast
7. Ten Year Teardrop



Not to get onto some hip hop shit with the self-hype but I sincerely feel this is our best record yet, due in large part to the more collaborative band creative process behind the songs, and also Caley's mad-scientist recording approach.



We'll be doing a small handful of shows in the Northeast US in April. In May/June we'll be touring Europe/UK and then in July we'll do a full tour of the US.

We're thrilled to be sharing this. No Christo, but he that hath ears to hear, let him hear...

xo,

Charlie, Caley and and Nick

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