Smith Westerns Welcome You Into The Studio

Towards the end of the recording sessions for their new album, Dye It Blonde, Smith Westerns invited director Ray Concepcion to join them in the studio. Concepcion lensed the band as they worked their way through the final stages of the recording process, and this week the resulting short film Die With Your Chin Up was released for your viewing pleasure. Check out the video and a full list of dates for band’s upcoming tour below.

 

 

04/25 New York, NY – The Bowery Ballroom *(SOLD OUT)
04/26 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s *
04/28 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar *
04/29 Raleigh, NC – Kings Barcade *
04/30 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade *
05/02 Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Centre #
05/03 Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre Mobile #
05/04 Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree
05/05 New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jack’s
05/06 Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater #
05/07 Denton, TX – University of North Texas Main Auditorium #(SOLD OUT)
05/08 Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom #(SOLD OUT)
05/11 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
05/21 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern ^(SOLD OUT)
05/22 Pomona, CA – The Glass House ^
05/23 Hollywood, CA – The Music Box ^
05/24 Hollywood, CA – The Music Box ^(SOLD OUT)
05/25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ^(SOLD OUT)
05/26 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore ^
05/27 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom ^
05/28 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom ^
05/29 Quincy, WA – Sasquatch Festival
05/31 Aspen, CO – Bell Up Aspen ^
06/01 Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre ^
06/02 Lawrence, KS – The Granda Theatre ^
06/03 Columbia, MO – The Blue Note ^
06/04 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
06/06 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre ^
06/07 Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre ^
06/08 Montreal, QC – Club Soda ^
06/09 Boston, MA – Royale ^
06/10 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
06/12 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival
06/16 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club ^
06/18 New York, NY – Terminal 5 ^

 

# = w/ Wilco
^ = w/ Yeasayer
* = w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra

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Smith Westerns Set For Spring Tour


Smith Westerns’ self-recorded debut earned them critical praise and a record deal with Fat Possum. A myriad of tour dates with MGMT, Belle and Sebastian, Girls, and Passion Pit earned them adoration from the glam rock community. And, their sophomore record, Dye It Blonde, proved that they have staying power.

This spring they’re hitting the road again; this time with Wilco and Yeasayer for a tour that will take them across the pond to London and Amsterdam, up north to Canada and to numerous locations here in the US. Check out a full list of dates below.

 

Upcoming Tour Dates

04/11 London, England – Cargo
04/14 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
04/16 Paris, France – Fleche d’Or
04/25 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom
04/26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s
04/28 Baltimore, MD Ottobar
04/29 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
04/30 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
05/02 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Performing Arts Centre #
05/03 Mobile, AL Saenger Theatre Mobile #
05/04 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
05/05 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack’s
05/06 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater #
05/07 Denton, TX University of North Texas Main Auditorium #
05/08 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom #
05/11 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
05/21 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern ^
05/22 Pomona, CA The Glass House ^
05/23 Hollywood, CA The Music Box ^
05/24 Hollywood, CA The Music Box ^
05/25 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ^
05/26 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ^
05/27 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom ^
05/28 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom ^
05/29 Quincy, WA Sasquatch Festival
05/31 Aspen, CO Bell Up Aspen ^
06/01 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre ^
06/02 Lawrence, KS The Granda Theatre ^
06/03 Columbia, MO The Blue Note ^
06/04 Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub
06/06 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre ^
06/07 Toronto, ON Phoenix Concert Theatre ^
06/08 Montreal, QC Club Soda ^
06/09 Boston, MA – Royale ^
06/10 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
06/12 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

# = w/ Wilco
^ = w/ Yeasayer

Smith Westerns Add Dates To US Tour

Chicago’s Smith Westerns dropped their second album last month, before embarking on a European tour with MGMT. Recently, it was announced that the group would continue touring stateside. On the heels of that news, comes word from the band that they’ll be playing dates with Wilco and Yeasayer later this spring. A full list of tour dates can be found below.

 

Tour Dates

02/19 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court %

02/21 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge %

02/22 Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar %

02/23 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room %

02/24 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club %

02/25 Madison, WI – The Frequency %

02/26 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle % -SOLD OUT-

02/28 Toronto, Ontario – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern %

03/01 Montreal, Quebec – La Sala Rossa %

03/02 Boston, MA – Great Scott %

03/03 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge % -SOLD OUT-

03/04 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel %

03/05 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory % -SOLD OUT-

03/16 – 03-19 Austin, TX – SXSW

04/25 New York, NY The Bowery Ballroom

04/26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s

04/28 Baltimore, MD Ottobar

04/29 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade

04/30 Atlanta, GA Masquerade

05/02 Montgomery, AL Montgomery Performing Arts Centre #

05/03 Mobile, AL Saenger Theatre Mobile #

05/04 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree !

05/05 New Orleans, LA One Eyed Jack’s

05/06 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater #

05/07 Denton, TX University of North Texas Main Auditorium #

05/08 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom #

05/11 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall

05/21 Solana Beach, CA Belly Up Tavern ^

05/22 Pomona, CA The Glass House ^

05/24 Hollywood, CA The Music Box ^

05/25 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore ^

05/29 Quincy, WA Sasquatch Festival

06/03 Columbia, MO The Blue Note ^

06/06 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre ^

06/09 – 06/12 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo

 

# = w/ Wilco

% = w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra

! = w/ Jeff The Brotherhood

^ = w/ Yeasayer

Smith Westerns Add New Tour Dates & Sasquatch Appearance

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Despite recently wrapping up a European tour with MGMT, Smith Westerns have now launched a massive US tour, supporting their critically-acclaimed sophomore LP, Dye It Blonde. The Chicago trio will make appearances at both SXSW and the Sasquatch Festival in George, Washington. The first leg of the tour will find Smith Westerns sharing the stage with fellow Fat Possum labelmates, Yuck- who are crossing the pond from the UK to make their first appearances in the US. The band is also very pleased to announce that the handful of May concert dates are in support of none other than Wilco- a highly-revered band for the guys, who have provided a great deal of inspiration for Smith Westerns.

Full list of tour dates below:

02/10 Phoenix AZ Rhythm Room*

02-15 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge %

02-16 Vancouver, BC – Biltmore Cabaret %

02-17 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe %

02-18 Boise, ID – Neurolux %

02-19 Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court %

02-21 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge %

02-22 Kansas City, MO – The Record Bar %

02-23 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room %

02-24 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club %

02-25 Madison, WI – The Frequency %

02-26 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle % –SOLD OUT–

02-28 Toronto, Ontario – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern %

03-01 Montreal, Quebec – La Sala Rossa %

03-02 Boston, MA – Great Scott %

03-03 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge % –SOLD OUT–

03-04 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel %

03-05 Brooklyn, NY – Knitting Factory % –SOLD OUT–

03-16 – 03-19 Austin, TX – SXSW

05-02 Montgomery, AL – Montgomery Performing Arts Centre #

05-03 Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre Mobile #

05-06 Houston, TX – Verizon Wireless Theater #

05-07 Denton, TX – University of North Texas Main Auditorium #

05-08 Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom #

05-27 George, WA – Sasquatch Festival

* = w/ Yuck

# = w/ Wilco

% = w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Brew Your Own Cup of Wilco


With Black Friday right around the corner, its time to start Christmas shopping for your loved ones. Not sure what to stuff their stockings with? How about some Wilco Coffee?

I know what you’re thinking. What is Wilco Coffee? Well, some of band’s members visited Inteligentsia Coffee’s Cupping Lap to pick their favorite variety. They settled on a coffee from the Sidama region of Ethiopiam, grown by the Homecho Waeno co-op.

Our friends over at Stereogum have a description of the coffee’s flavor, which I have admit sounds intriguing. The retail price ($21 per pound) is a little steep. But, for those who are interested, you can purchase Wilco Coffee here.

Interview: In It to Win It with Tokyo Police Club


Last week, I had the pleasure of talking to Tokyo Police Club singer, Dave Monks, about their upcoming record Champ due out on Mom and Pop Records on June 8th. Filled with amazing tracks, trust us, this is TPC’s best album yet.

Modern Mystery:All of your albums have been successful, what kind of pressure did you have going into the studio to make Champ ?

Dave Monks: Not that much, going into Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek) we had a lot of pressure. This time when we were writing we didn’t even feel like we were writing a record. It was way more relaxed. I’m not sure if we turned it off but there wasn’t as much pressure.

MM: What inspires you to write a song? Where do you pull your inspiration from?

Monks: It can come from a many number of things. You have something planned conceptually and musically. Usually girls and stuff…ah that sounds so lame (laughs). There seems to be more light stuff on this record, going out, doing stuff.

MM: Your new record is being released on Mom and Pop Records. How come you decided to split from Saddle Creek?

Monks: Saddle Creek was awesome, and we were trying to gauge our feeling for every record with a fitting label. With Mom and Pop, their ceiling is much higher. When we worked with Saddle Creek there wasn’t a lot of options for us. Mom and Ppo is a good mix of both worlds of indie and major.

MM: You’re starting a contest that is challenging fans to go up in competition with you involving anything. Are you guys really game for the crazy ideas that may be thrown at you?

Monks: Oh absolutely! We’re really excited about the contest. Send in whatever, we’ll do it. I think since the record is called Champ, we thought the champ of what? We decided to find out. If it was called macaroni it would have been totally different.

MM: Will the competitions go up online for fans to see, as in will they be filmed?

Monks: We’re going to film them, then you’ll see how super fun they are and people can submit their ideas.

MM: How long did it take to record Champ? From songwriting to the end of the mastering process?

Monks: “Breakneck Speed” was written in January 2008 but it was definitely three months recording the record. We did six months of actual solid writing time

MM: What is your favorite part about going on tour and playing live?

Monks: When a show goes really well and a crowd reacts, it s a really cool feeling. It’s what you strive for. To be able to connect like that. And the food!

MM: How does the band write songs? Is it a collaboration? Does everyone bring in their own pieces?

Monks: It starts out as kind of…I’ll have a bunch of ideas about the skeleton or the ideas for the song, then the melody comes in. It starts out as it usually starts with me, then halfway through the process we all try to map it out. That’s where all the good stuff comes from.

MM: You guys blog a lot on your website. How important do you think it is to keep that connection with your fans?

Monks: It’s crazy that we can actually do that. For 300 dollars we got flip cams, and we edit the videos in no time, and they get really good response. If that gets fans excited and makes them feel more connected to the songs, that‘s great. Maybe they don’t like the songs and think we’re stupid. We like it and are going to keep doing it.

MM: What is your favorite song off of Champ and why?

Monks: I really like “Big Difference,” which is track 9 I believe. Something really unique came out of it. I don’t know how the song came about entirely but it came out from a chemistry I couldn’t tell you how to get.

MM: What musicians and bands inspired you to play music?

Monks: Definitely Radiohead, Wilco, The Strokes, Arcade Fire, Apples in Stereo. I don’t know, so many bands. When we were in high school there was an amazing amount.

MM: If you weren’t in Tokyo Police Club, what would you be doing?

Monks: Probably be graduated with a B.A. and looking for work. I don’t know. I was in school and it was pretty aimless. I might be out of work (laughs).

Tokyo Police Club “Big Difference” by modernmysteryblog