More bands added to SXSW roster

I love SXSW. I love all the things other people love about it: Mexican food, free booze, and seeing friends from far away. I also love all the things other people hate about it: the haircuts, the crazed sprint through the Dallas airport to catch a connecting flight (hmm...didn't know I loved this before!), the possibility of getting food poisoning from the Heavy Metal Pizza Place. Just because it's SXSW, and it's the most magical part-week of the year.

Recently the official SXSW website added to its list of confirmed performers. At first I was like "meh, I guess this line-up gives me more time to hang out with my friends." But then I started noticing some excellent additions, including Beach House, Gang Gang Dance, HEALTH, the Homosexuals, the Vaselines, Naked on the Vague, Sonics, and well, there's probably more but I guess I'll just post the Official SXSW Band Roster.

Ah f*&%, I found another story. HEALTH playing free show in LDN.

Goddamnit. I really was going to buy some dinner at the co-op and then go rent an arty German movie and eat pasta and feel sorry for myself because I don't have a job and my life is boring. But then I see this thing on Drowned in Sound about LA dudes HEALTH (RIYL: Liars, Crystal Castles) playing a free show in London.

It's next Thursday, June 12, at the Old Blue Last. FREE except for the mental price you pay in mixing with ultra cool 19 year olds with better haircuts than you. Doors are at 8pm. Rock those HEALTH jams.


Dates!

06/02 Lisbon, Portugal @ Galeria Ze Dos Bois
06/03 Barcelos, Portugal @ Zoom
06/04 Porto, Portugal @ Maus Hábitos
06/05 Rennes, France @ Ubu
06/06 Cherbourg, France @ Terra Trema Festival
06/07 Paris, France @ Vilette Sonique
06/09 Southhampton, UK @ The Joiners
06/10 London, UK @ Madam Jojo's / White Heat
06/11 Liverpool, UK @ Korova
06/12 London, UK @ Old Blue Last
06/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Williamsburg Music Hall
07/12 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunkspace
07/13 Santa Fe, NM @ High Mayhem
07/14 Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis
07/15 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
07/16 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
07/17 Milwaukee, WI @ The Echo Base
07/20 Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
07/22 St. Louis, MO @ The Bluebird
07/28 Los Angeles, CA @ The Smell
08/08 Oslo, Norway @ Oya Festival
08/10 Aulnoye Aymeries, France @ Nuits Secrettes Festival

I love you, Crystal Castles!!!!

As promised, here's the write-up about Crystal Castles I said I'd do yesterday if I couldn't think of anything else to write about. I woke up this morning with their track "Alice Practice" stuck in my head, and I thought, "OK, I am extremely into this song, so I am totally going to write about Crystal Castles today." Then I sat and stared at their MySpace tour listing for about 45 minutes, thinking, "It just says "UK Tour TBA" and I can't find anything out about the dates, so maybe I should wait till they get that info up." Then I realized that I was sitting at my parents' beige suburban house, looking out the window at two other suburban beige houses, and I really wanted to listen to music with a lot of screaming and noise, so I just decided, "What the hell, I AM going to write about Crystal Castles."

And that is how my head works. Had there been any Big Black news I might've written about Big Black, but there wasn't. And probably there never is going to be anymore, unless there's another Touch and Go label anniversary party. Anyways...let's talk about Crystal Castles!!!

1. They are from Canada, but that's really about all we know! So mysterious!!!
2. They sound like the Locust vs. Glass Candy, with lots of noise and Atari! It is kind of painful to listen to, but in a good way! Also, maybe you remember this Oakland/Berlin band the Vanishing that sounded like a really abrasive Siouxsie and the Banshees with electronic elements? Crystal Castles kinda sounds like that, but more so. Just imagine! At any rate, I've been making my cat listen to "Alice Practice" and the HEALTH vs. Crystal Castles remix of "Crimewave", and he seems to be alright with it, so if my cat can deal with it, maybe you won't hate it? Maybe? Or possibly he is just deaf.
3. Crystal Castles also did a remix of Liars' "It Fit When I Was a Kid", which used to be up on the Liars' MySpace page, but now no longer is. Good luck finding it!!

So, here's the not too informative tour date listing for the band in all its uninformative glory:

1 Feb 2008 "EARLY FEBRUARY U.K. DATES T.B.A."
8 Feb 2008 Le Triptyque PARIS
9 Feb 2008 Le Grand Mix TOURCOING
10 Feb 2008 Cabaret Electric LE HAVRE
12 Feb 2008 Digital NEWCASTLE
13 Feb 2008 Club Academy MANCHESTER
14 Feb 2008 Bar Academy BIRMINGHAM
15 Feb 2008 Audio BRIGHTON
16 Feb 2008 Astoria (NME Award show) LONDON

For US dates with HEALTH, see DFCC back and in effect. Also HEALTH is touring.

Crystal Castles' MySpace page is HERE. Ouch! I can and will listen to that all day.

DFCC back and in effect. Also, HEALTH are touring.

I hope you have not given up on this blog. I hope that you are reading it right now. I also hope that you will forgive me for my lack of holiday season updates, because I am TOTALLY BACK AND IN EFFECT!!!!


First of all, I need to tell you about HEALTH. Because I need someone to go to this show with me, and everyone I mention it to is all, "HEALTH? What is that?" or just says "HEALTH?" in a vaguely condescending tone intended to convey awareness in spite of the speaker actually not having a clue about what he/she is talking about but not wanting the other person to realize that he/or she has no idea what he/she is talking about. (This is the Minneapolis way.) Secondly, I also need someone to get me in to this show for free, but that is another matter.

HEALTH are from LA, where maybe I should move to instead of New York because generally speaking all the LA bands I've heard recently have better names and sound scarier and more awesome than NY bands. (Also because I want to be friends with Liars and talk about Blixa Bargeld all the time.) HEALTH sound like Liars-Kraftwerk (sometimes) and they include Swans in their list of influences, so you know I'm gonna be into it! They also have a promotional photo that looks suspiciously nu-rave, but I'm trying not to notice that. At the moment they're touring the West Coast with a few different groups. Then in February, a US tour with Crystal Castles--who are also awesome--hits the rest of the United States, including my wintry home. And in May it's over to my UK friends, who will probably get to watch them open for the Klaxons or something like that.


HEALTH MySpace page

Crystal Castles MySpace page More on this spectacular duo later, like when I can't think of anything to write about. So possibly, tomorrow!!!

HEALTH dates:

15 Jan 2008 EL REY Los Angeles, California
w/ Dan Deacon + Ultimate Reality

17 Jan 2008 GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL San Francisco, California
w/ Dan Deacon + Ultimate Reality

18 Jan 2008 21 GRAND OAKLAND, California
w/ Militant Childrens Hour, Robin Williams On Fire!

19 Jan 2008 DELTA OF VENUS DAVIS, California

20 Jan 2008 THE STUDIO ON 4TH RENO, Nevada
w/ Manacle, Short Hairs

21 Jan 2008 CRUX ARTS COLLECTIVE CHICO, California

22 Jan 2008 VOYEUR OLYMPIA, Washington
w/ TWIN

23 Jan 2008 MEDIA CLUB Vancouver, British Columbia
w/ White Williams

24 Jan 2008 CHOP SUEY Seattle, Washington
w/ While Williams

25 Jan 2008 HOLOCENE Portland, Oregon
w/ White Williams

26 Jan 2008 THE VISTA EUREKA, California
w/ Zac Institute

27 Jan 2008 BLUE LAGOON SANTA CRUZ, California

28 Jan 2008 TRIDOSHA HEALING CENTER SAN LUIS OBISPO, California

29 Jan 2008 CASBAH San Diego, California
w/ White Williams

30 Jan 2008 BIKO CO-OP GOLETA, California

1 Feb 2008 EL REY Los Angeles, California
w/ Autolux

2 Feb 2008 NARDUCCI’S CAFE BAKERSFIELD, California

15 Feb 2008
U.S. TOUR WITH CRYSTAL CASTLES // TBA

28 Feb 2008 TRIPLE ROCK SOCIAL CLUB Minneapolis, Minnesota
w/Crystal Castles

7 May 2008
UK//EURO TOUR TBA

HOLLA!!!!!!