F Yeah Fest

We're making both our return to the stage (after almost 5 months!) and our return to the F Yeah Fest (after a one-year hiatus) on Sept. 5, here in L.A. Last year notwithstanding, it's kindof an annual tradition for us. Last time we played it, you'll recall, we played without Tim, who was in the hospital because he got bit on the foot by a rattlesnake in his bathroom, or something like that. Some friends we are. Somehow that turned out to be a really good show though, probably because we just jammed for 20 minutes and split. Tim would go on to make a partial recovery, and still requires the use of a cane.

But that was back when it was on the streets of Echo Park, spread out between 4 different venues along Sunset Blvd. This year, it's a) renamed something weird and awkward, so we'll keep calling it the F Yeah Fest, at least in mixed company, and b) down in that big patch of grass and dirt next to Chinatown, which is apparently a state park, which is at the risk of closure, thanks to the Governator, although I don't know how you can shut down a big patch of grass and dirt. Our pals Sean and Phil and Keith, who put this on, are bringing a lotta needed attention to this gnarly aspect of California's ongoing going-out-of-business sale, as well as putting a charitable twist on it. It'll be more of a proper festival this time, and possibly maybe even more fun than it always has been. Quite a lineup, too.

Most exciting, though: all the new songs we're gonna play. We're psyched.

Record Release Day Redux

That's right: 2 days shy of the first anniversary of its release in the U.S., 2 is, as of today, finally out in the UK! Anything beyond a year, I think, technically would qualify it as a reissue, so, having squeaked in just shy of that deadline, our record can thankfully still be called brand-new. Which means if you're in the UK, either head down to your favourite neighbourhood purveyor of plastic discs and trade in your £££-age for a copy of our record, or, y'know, if you're in some kind of a rush, you can always do iTunes/ Play.com/Amazon/HMV/Tesco/7Digital. If you want the coveted vinyl edition, you'll have to come to come see us this fall and get it from us, cos that's the only place you'll find it. Clever ploy, no?

As for the rest of Europe, your time will come next week, on August 12! Perhaps we'll remind you when that day comes.

fondest regards,
the dudes

Attn: Western World

Two tours rolled into one long slithery thing. It's a migratory beast, that, with the shortening of days each autumn, journeys to climes where the days are even shorter and the nights are even colder. It will be easily distinguishable from what you may have seen of it in the past by its prominent upper incisors, mottled snout, golden underbelly, and crispy exoskeleton. This time, it will snake from Philadelphia back west to Los Angeles, leaving its slime trail through the south. Then it will head further east to Europe, where it will speak 8 different languages, sometimes simultaneously, before cooling off in London and neighbouring villages for a spell. Details follow.

Leg 1:
Meeting in the semifinals of the 2009 tour-off will be European bracket winners A Place To Bury Strangers and U.S. victors All the Saints, in keeping with the official band New Year's Resolution to do as many tours as possible with as few bands as possible. For the environment's sake.
(If you don't recall, we've already toured with each of those bands this year, and it was so much fun we're back for more [and sorry for the abrupt switch to first person. That third person thing was getting old.])
This also means there will be even more high-stakes backstage poker, especially given the fiery, tight-fisted presence of Jim Crook of All the Saints and the here-take-my-money-ness of the good-timin' Ollie Ackermann.
A Place To Bury Strangers headlines. Dates here:

10.4. Philadelphia, PA. Johnny Brenda's
10.5. Washington, DC. Rock & Roll Hotel
10.6. Chapel Hill, NC. Local 506
10.7. Atlanta, GA. Drunken Unicorn
10.8. Tallahassee, FL. Club Downunder
10.9. New Orleans, LA. One Eyed Jacks
10.10. Dallas, TX. Club Dada
10.11. Austin, TX. The Mohawk
10.13. Tucson, AZ. Plush
10.15. San Diego. The Casbah
10.16. L.A. The Echo


Leg 2:
After taking a few hours to catch our breaths on the 17th, we'll teleport to Europe, where we're supporting White Lies. This is most exciting because we get to play Luxembourg, and who ever gets to do that? Next time, Liechtenstein and/or Andorra.

10.20. Eindhoven, Holland. Effenaar
10.21. Amsterdam, Holland. Paradiso
10.22. Rotterdam, Holland. Watt
10.28. Paris, France. Elysee Montmartre
10.29. Brussels, Belgium. AB Box Club
10.30. Luxembourg. Den Atelier
11.01. Cologne, Germany. LMH
11.02. Hamburg, Germany. Ueber
11.04. Stockholm, Sweden. Berns
11.05. Oslo, Norway. Sentrum
11.06. Copenhagen, Demark. Vega
11.07. Berlin, Germany. Postbahnhof
11.09. Munich, Germany. Backstage
11.10. Vienna, Austria. Arena
11.12. Rome, Italy. Piper Club
11.13. Milan, Italy. Alcatraz
11.14. Zurich, Switzerland. Kaufleuten

And then keep the 16th thru the 20th open for some UK dates.

Here's a poster Tim made. It's more fun if you print it out.

Tim's Breakthrough

Tim made his live L.A. solo debut last week at the recently renovated lounge at All-Star Lanes in Eagle Rock. Here he is rendering the packed house spellbound with his titillating rendition of The Doors' "Break on Through." He really set the night on fire.

Pablove

Shoot a little (or a lot) of light over this way. Jeff is many things to us - he runs our label, Dangerbird, manages us, and is a great guy with an even greater family, to boot. For those of you unaware, last May, his son Pablo was diagnosed with a form of children’s cancer called Wilm’s tumor. They’ve been on an epic journey since then - in and out of chemo, in and out of the proverbial woods, but punctuated throughout with a whole lotta living. Jeff and his family chronicled every step of the way on the Pablog (really, click on it, read it), and in the process, Pablo reached and inspired countless people far beyond the confines of L.A. in a very real way, us included. Sadly, Pablo moved on to a higher place on Saturday, six days after his sixth birthday. They could use your brightest thoughts right now.

Along the way, Jeff and Jo Ann started the Pablove Foundation, and have raised a lot of awareness and money for children’s cancer. If you’re so inclined, please consider a donation. And if not - and even if so - then hey, get out there and donate some love to the greater good. Thank you.

Studio Tan

Hellz yeah, no kiddin’, that’s right, as promised, we hit the studio and cut some track last week. 3 songs in 3 days. Just like they used to do in the old days! Also just like they used to do when they were on a real tight budget. Apparently they still do it that way. Anyway.



We got some real exciting seven-inch plans for these, all of the split variety. Which means, go ‘head and notch out some space in your collection for three more pieces of vinyl.

One of these is a cover of a 13th Floor Elevators song called “She Lives (In a Time of Her Own),” from the Easter Everywhere record. We’re hoping it’ll come out on a split with another pretty first-rate band (ahem) doing a different Roky cover. Turned out pretty smokin’.

Then there’s a song of ours called “A Lovely Game” (once a tentative title, and perhaps still so, but probably the eventual title by default), which we’ve been kicking around for about a year now. Played it live a lot last year, so if you saw us round then, you’ve probably heard it, albeit way too fast. Planning on putting that out as a split with our buds All the Saints. I wonder if they’ve recorded anything yet. Shit.

Song number 3 is for the I Hate Rock N Roll corporate empire, the braintrust behind the release of 2007’s “Hair Decisions” 12” split with Moccasin. We’re doing this split with Audacity, who might be the best band going in L.A. now, even though they’re from Fullterton or something. So we’re covering one of their songs, and we’re covering one of theirs. Neat, huh? Buy it, because we still haven’t recouped on that other split, and the man’s really breathing down our neck. Kind of an indentured servitude situation. Proceeds go to a fucking great cause.

And oh yeah, we got Bob Mustachio from The Warlocks to play drums on these too. We were all kinda starstruck most the time. Pretty amazing.

So who knows when this stuff’s gonna come out. Later this summer, I guess, if we can all keep it together until then. We being makind. Yeah, I’m talkin’ to you. In the meantime, look, it’s us:


We'd just gotten the bad news. Rob was particularly distraught.

 
Our old (I mean, young!) photographress/band mother Malia came back from this band she went and joined and took these! She's good to have around.

June Bloom

Maybe you are or were or were thinking about wondering what we’ve been up to. Well...

We got back from Europe and were summarily (and mercifully) booted from our dungeonesque practice space on Walk-of-Fame Hollywood Blvd. Practicing there always inevitably meant that any band practice involved either 30-minutes-to-an-hour of circling the streets surrounding the rapidly-overgrowing Hollywood & Vine, or giving up after a few laps and paying 10 bucks to park in a garage 3 blocks away. Never a good way to start the creative process. And it always meant encountering bona fide freakshit out front on the boulevard, over the stars of Jayne Mansfield and Elizabeth Taylor. Like the time a roving panhandler approached us, and after being spurned, none other than an off-duty Superman - that’s right, Superman - walking the other way half a block down, turned around, walked back to said panhandler and made a strikingly firm coin deposit in his hand. And in that exchange, Superman seemed to telepathically impart something powerful, via a solid two seconds of searing eye contact. Then he walked down to Combo’s Pizzeria, sat down outside, and smoked a cigarette. I guess Superman’s never really off duty.

So we left that place and are now shacked up downtown in trucker town, in the same building we conceived the last record. It’s a place with good energy, and this time we have a big window and a sweet view of the downtown skyline, over the LA River and its railroad tracks. We’re in there right now writing, and the juices are really, for lack of a better word, flowing. So far we’ve got a solid handful-plus of songs down, with plenty more half-songs, and if there’s one thing to report, it’s that distortion has yet to make an appearance. With, of course, the exception of Tim’s blistering buzzsaw chainsaw sawmill buzzcut solos.

And that’s that. We’re going into the studio tomorrow to record a few other songs for various split 7”s, and then hopefully we’ll be recording the next record by the end of the summer. Keep in touch.

The Merry Men

Encompassing days 6 through 10:


Rob and Tim and Robin Hood




We did a lot of shopping.


London


White Cliffs of Dover


This is where we played in Paris.


Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris. It's very big.


Paris


The capitol of art has no shame!


photos by Will

Craveology

White Castle


In 1930, White Castle conducted a study (later dubbed the "Craveology" study) that monitored the health of a student who lived on nothing but the Slyders and water for 13 weeks. According to the company, the student maintained good health.

Forget Paris

The chemicals have settled and the negatives have dried and those long-promised us-on-film-in-Europe shots are here at last. In case you didn't already gist the gist of how darned enjoyable the whole thing was, hey, look:


Hellbox: Unkrunk'd


South Ayrshire Coast, Scotland


same


Dublin


Things with wheels. River Liffey, Dublin.


The perfect pint, which is like every other pint of Guinness, overlooking Dublin, which is not.


Dublin


Tim in Leeds


Amsterdam


Rob's birthday. Amsterdam.


Amsterdam


Pure fun, Hellbox-style


Stuttgart. The club was on the other side of that cool wall.

photos by Will

more to come.