News

Buke & Gass Receive Press, Set Release Date, Tour in September - August 10, 2010

CLICK HERE FOR THE PRE-SALE of BUKE & GASS's MOST-EXCELLENT DEBUT LP RIPOSTE

The latest member of the Brassland family has been out and about, playing shows, conducting interviews, and receiving press. We thought we'd compile some of the media attention for your convenience, starting with this interview at Village Voice, which provided the lowdown on "Medulla Oblongata" (it's about "the trials of miscommunication"), Aron's early instrument designs (thumb pianos, talking drums), and where to find a good lunch in Brooklyn (Calexico in Columbia Heights). TimeOut NY's piece on the band cross-referenced their sound with Dirty Projectors, Deerhoof, and Marnie Stern, which we consider good company. The New York Times also gave B&G a short-but-sweet mention in their review of the Bang on a Can Marathon. Their appraisal of Aron and Arone's contribution to the show? That "Buke and Gass, a quirky indie-rock duo...[merged] homespun tools and technological savvy." Right on.

In addition to the attention from the powers-that-be in the New York press core, the band have received love from our neighbors to the North (and we're not talking about Connecticut). Toronto's NOW Magazine wrote a small piece about the band, who spoke of the economic and musical benefits of being a two-piece. Eye Weekly, also based in Toronto, published an interview with a question about the band's involvement with our flagship group and how B&G arrived at Brassland. If you were ever curious just how incestuous Brooklyn music circles are, this interview provides much needed clues. In addition to talking with reporters, Buke & Gass played the ALL CAPS! Island Festival while up in Canada. Pictures were tweeted, giving you at home a glimpse of how the duo make their noise with instruments that, as we learned from NOW, can be packed in a single sedan. (Special thanks to Dorice Tepley and lifeatblandings for their tweets. For a round-up of the internets latest Twits on B&G, click here.)

All this good chit-chat comes in anticipation of the band's first Brassland release, Riposte, which will arrive in stores on September 14th. (You can view the cover up and to the left.) If interesed - and you should be - you can place your pre-orders at The Brassland Store. Remember, there's free shipping on all US orders, so this time draw water straight from the source and get the CD delivered to your doorstep.

To celebrate the release, Buke & Gass will tour America (and Canada!) with Efterklang throughout September, beginning on the 7th in Montreal. The tour cuts across the central US and along the West Coast before ending up October 2nd at a performance for POP Montreal. O Canada!

On an interesting sidenote, B&G's tourmates Efterklang's most recent record shares a cover designer with Clogs' The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton. (The designer is Danish firm Hvass and Hannibal.) It seems the incestuous circles extend beyond Brooklyn. Anyway, click over to our shows page for dates, venues, and links.

That does it for now.

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Clogs Release "Last Song" Video and 3-Song EP - August 03, 2010

Last week, Clogs released a video for their latest single, "Last Song," on Pitchfork.tv. Directed by twin brothers Benjamin and Stefan Ramirez Perez, the video layers animation over traditionally filmed images to gracefully show a fragmented narrative in which two characters shift between isolation and interaction. The tune itself features The National's Matt Berninger (pictured at left with daughter Isla on the latest cover of Under the Radar), whose baritone enters a minute and a half in. You can watch the video below.

In addition to the video, Clogs are releasing the digital-only Last Song EP. Featuring the title track, two exclusive b-sides ("No Bridge" and the curiously spelled "Loev Song"), and an elegant cover that recalls both the video and a particular Peter Saville design, the three-song EP is available for download today at one of the many fine e-tailers situated along the information superhighway.

And now for the multimedia. Enjoy!

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The National on Colored Vinyl, $5 digital deal - July 18, 2010

The last few months have been exciting ones for The National, and we've been trying to match that excitement with plans for the back catalog. First off you can get their debut The National (s/t) right now as one of Amazon.com's $5.00 digital deals. It will be up there for the rest of July.

More exciting is that are new pressings of the band's Brassland back catalog on vinyl. Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers vinyl will be available in stores on July 20th; The National (s/t) will be available in stores in the first week or two of August. (Check with your local shop. They'll appreciate hearing from you!)

Alternatively, if you're an impatient sort or you want an extra-special pressing, you can get colored vinyl editions of both records right now through the Brassland store:

- THE NATIONAL (S/T) on blue-colored vinyl
- SAD SONGS FOR DIRTY LOVERS on white-colored vinyl

This marks the first time the debut album has been available on vinyl. And it is the largest pressing of Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers to date. Both records feature jackets on lovely uncoated paper stock and include digital download cards for an MP3 version of the release. Each record also includes one part of a triptych poster designed by the band's bassist, sometime guitarist & overall design guru Scott Devendorf band friend John Solimine of Spike Press.

Now, maybe you're wondering to yourselves, "I'm a little confused about the history of The National's Brassland releases on vinyl. Could you straighten me out on this?"

Well, yes, sure we can. We go that extra mile for you, the music fan and (hopefully) music-related product consumer.

***THE NATIONAL (S/T)***
1ST PRESS (2010): 3000 sleeves made, 500 packaged with blue-colored vinyl, 2000-2500 packaged with black vinyl

***SAD SONGS FOR DIRTY LOVERS***
1ST PRESS (2003): 1000 Sleeves and posters were made, 500 were packaged with black vinyl LPs and sold almost exclusively in the United Kingdom

2ND PRESS (2010): 500 of the old posters and sleeves were found in a warehouse and packaged with newly pressed black vinyl and sold almost exclusively via our online store

3RD PRESS (2010): 3000 sleeves were made, 500 packaged with white vinyl and another 2500 are packaged with black vinyl

***CHERRY TREE***
1ST PRESS (2004): 1000 copies pressed on 10" red vinyl in an edition licensed to our friends at Shake It Records in Cincinnati, OH with a slightly different looking sleeves than the CD edition.

2ND PRESS (2010): 3000 posters printed by Brassland. We're not 100% sure how these will be packaged yet -- though we have big ideas...

The new pressing on black vinyl is the first pressing available via normal distribution channels. Expect to find them in any local record store smart enough to order from our friends at the Alternative Distribution Alliance, and all the usual online shops like Insound, Other Music and Amazon.

As far as the new posters are concerned, we're eventually hoping to sell them independently via the website in case you already own some of the older editions of these records. Please note: though some folks will inevitably treat these re-presses as collectibles, our aim is not to make people purchase multiple copies of the same record. We're also going to try to keep these records in print in some form as long as there is sufficient demand.

Good day to you. And to our Northern Hemespheric brethren, keep cool the rest of the summer. Remember that vinyl melts.

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Reports from the Road (not) by Bryan Devendorf (Glastonbury, Part 4) - July 02, 2010

In our past three news posts, The National's designated rhythm specialist Bryan Devendorf has given us a taste of what life is like working in a "mid level band" (his words, not ours). It involves NPR, car services, trans-continental flights, and an awful lot of rumination.

Today, however, brings something new - namely, pictures. While Bryan chose to express himself through wry, stream of consciousness prose, guitarist Aaron Dessner and bassist Scott Devendorf took some snaps with their cameras. We thought we'd post some of our favorites - complete with pithy captions - for your viewing pleasure. For more shots, head over to our Flickr account.

Bryce and friends walk towards Aaron and camera. (Photo by Aaron Dessner)

Padma (far right) chills amongst other people. (Photo by Scott Devendorf)

We think this guy is selling cider, but aren't sure. Regardless, the blurriness effectively communicates the Glastonbury experience. (Photo by Scott Devendorf)

Aaron Dessner plays to the adoring masses.

If interested in getting band pictures of your own, find out where The National is playing next. And don't forget - more photos by and of the band are posted here. Check 'em out, if you want.

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Reports from the Road by Bryan Devendorf (Glastonbury, Part 3) - July 01, 2010

Putting fingers to keys, The National's Bryan Devendorf has guided us through the band's Glastonbury experience. Over the past three days, we've read about Martin Sheen and method acting, white wine and Biggie Smalls.

Today's post comes from the 26th, the day the band officially plays...Glastonbury. The Reports from the Road have led up to this moment. So what goes through a man's mind before playing a large British festival? See below.

Day Three: "What It's Like"

Somerset, UK
June 26, 2010

My dad was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. When we were young there was a slideshow he showed us of aerial photographs of Saigon he had taken himself from the cockpit of a Chinook. Greenness dominated the images. And wide boulevards. He was probably like twenty-five years old at the time, ten years younger than I am now. And this is germane to the story because I am here (and I’m still here!) flailing away on a drum set not so different from the first one my parents bought me all those years ago, a Pearl Export Series, with a basic black wrap. All those years practicing in the basement have led to this: the survival of my father's genetics and what's more a place here in the lineup of this legendary festival which ironically has the look and feel of a military occupation - the land all fenced off and divided into zones of control fed by different colored wristbands.

I've been told that what we're doing (sleeping on a bus and playing in a band) is inherently interesting but I don't get it and can't quite express "what it's like." Miserable? Exciting? I don't know. It is what it is I suppose. I'm just lucky to be here, onstage, living the dream. But it's not like that at all. It's more like an out-of-body experience you've come to know and love. And fear. Or embrace. One you think you can control until you start thinking about it.

It's 1720 GMT. The sun is still high in the sky at this latitude. Flags and banners rise above the audience. Someone near the front has raised aloft the state flag of California which flaps away in the breeze like the closing shot in a documentary about state government. I sit down behind the drums and dial the metronome to 133 BPM. I have to press the thing to my ear to hear the click over the roaring sound in my head. It's a moment of synesthesia with the sun making noise and the strange color of the sky. I turn off the metronome; I inhale, holding my breath for a moment like my grandmother taught me to do while target shooting, and then I count off four beats, 1-2-3-4, like it's still the Mercury Lounge and we start to play.

-b

That does it for Post #3. If interested in visual representations of the festival, don't forget to come back tomorrow for a post featuring photographs taken by the band. (Special thanks to Scott Devendorf for the above portrait.) We're also going to put 'em on Flickr, which we haven't done in a while.

In other news, The National continue their spate of European dates with an appearance this weekend at the Roskilde Festival in Denmark. Then it's off to Holland, Germany, France, Portugal, and the UK before returning stateside in late July. If you didn't click the link above but want to see where the band is next, click here.

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