Asthmatic Kitty News information on upcoming releases and tours... http://www.asthmatickitty.com en-us EasyRSS DM STITH WITH NEW RELEASE AND SHOWS IN LONDON

Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes personally asked DM Stith to support her at the upcoming sold out show in London at the prestigious Somerset House on July 16th. So, if you don't already have tickets, we're sorry, good luck getting in.

That said, Stith is performing his own headlining date in London at the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen on Monday, July 20th, which is (as of this posting) not yet sold out. Tickets are £10.00, and you can buy them in advance here. We recommend you go. The now decade-old Irish musicers CLUAS said this of Stith in Paris: " . . . that voice, piercing and melancholic like a train whistle across a prairie, still conjures up romance and escape and a sort of bruised yearning." Yowsers! We imagine Stith in London, albeit across the pond, may do something similar of the sort.

Speaking of Paris, director Armel Hostiou directed Stith's latest music video, "BMB." This is in conjunction with the release of Stith's now second EP, appropriately titled BMB, which we release next Tuesday. You can read about BMB the EP it here, and watch "BMB" the video above, or here.

]]> Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=473 TUESDAY NIGHT LIGHTS: CASTANETS & CRYPTACIZE
Photo by PinkMoose

Not so long ago we announced a new album from Castanets (you can stream a track from the album on Pitchfork right here), but you don't have to wait that long for new Castanets - when on tour, each show is notoriously different than the last. Tonight Castanets begin a very stacked tour with a bang. They'll be playing at Central Park's Summerstage alongside Explosions in the Sky and Constantines. The show is free and starts at 5:30pm, so if you're in NYC - go! Details for that show are here. Otherwise, see dates for the rest of the U.S. tour here.

Speaking of whirlwind tours, Cryptacize is headway into theirs. They're playing in Atlanta tonight, then Chapel Hill, and back up into the Rustbelt and beyond, with the superbly sublime Casiotone for the Painfully Alone as tourmates. See dates for that tour here.

]]> Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=472 #WTDTW (WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND) here), some suggestions on spending your evenings this weekend...Fri: Cryptacize in Denton @ Rubber Gloves, Fol Chen in LA @ PDG Performance Warehouse :: Sat: Cryptacize in Austin @ Mohawk :: Sun: Cryptacize in Houston @ Walter's.  Details are here.

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=471 FOL CHEN ARE WHAT PRINCE, JUNIOR VASQUEZ, AND BEASTIE BOYS HAVE IN COMMON [MP3]

Fol Chen is having an incredible 2009 thus far, with rave reviews of their debut, Part One: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made, as well as their shows in NYC and the UK. But never one to rest of their semi-anonymous laurels, they are staying plenty busy. SPIN recently invited them to cover Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" for their Purplish Rain compilation, which will also include contributions from Of Montreal, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Chairlift, Lavender Diamond, and many more. Read more about compilation here.

While on tour in the UK, Fol Chen stopped into the BBC studios to record a live session, and now that they're back home they will guesting on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic on July 13th. You can tune in and listen live at 11AM EST here. In weirder news, TommyBoy Entertainment LLC commissioned Fol Chen to remix house legend Junior Vasquez - who himself has worked with the likes of Beyonce, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey and Madonna. Or in other words, all artists you wouldn't expect reading about on the Asthmatic Kitty website until this very moment.

Don't miss Fol Chen when they come through - which is to say in LA at PDG Performance hall this Friday (details here), or later during their fall tour. Oh, and here is some terrific footage of them covering the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" at the Echo. And thanks to Sasha Frere-Jones for finally introducing the New Yorker readership to the Laker Girls (here).

 "Insecurities (Fol Chen Remix)"

]]> Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=470 ROYAL CITY: OUT NOW, POSTERIZED, STREAMING

Royal City is gone but not forgotten, and today that is more true than it has been in a while. We are lucky to be the ones releasing their retrospective self-titled rarity and B-side collection outside of Canada. Feel free to catch up and purchase (CD - $12, LP - $14). If you're not yet convinced yet, super-blog MBV has a wonderful full, free, stream of the album for the interested right here.

Turns out MBV are big fans; in fact, with some help from Lisa Moran and Tyler Clark Burke (founders of the late, great Three Gut Records - Royal City’s old home) Ryan@MBV organized and printed some gorgeous limited edition, giclee prints of the bands' previous album covers which were designed by Tyler Clark Burke. Yes, of course you want one. There are two ways to obtain. One is to enter a contest at one of three blogs you should already be visiting daily: MBV, Chromewaves, and Said the Grammaphone.

Or, if you're not the contesting type, you can buy them from us for $15 right here. Did we say they are archival quality on German Etching stock? They are.

]]> Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=469 CRYPTACIZE RELEASE 7INCH, CONTINUE TO TOUR

Having barely finished a whirlwind European tour playing with Final Fantasy, Mirah, and Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Cryptacize is now hitting their home pavement with an extensive US tour alongside Casiotone for The Painfully Alone. Touring in support of their sophmore release Mythomania, the band has filled out a little with newest member Aaron Olson joining Chris, Nedelle and Michael. Aaron and Nedelle met at music school a few years ago. Guitar is his first instrument but he was kind enough to switch to bass for Cryptacize. Most importantly, Aaron has black hair, hazel eyes, and is a sensitive guy. Be sure to catch them on the road. Check the tour dates here.

Also be sure to head over to Slowboy Records to pick up the newest offering from Cryptacize, their Lost Beauties & Easy To Dream 7″. This limited edition (300 copies) clear vinyl 7" can be purchased by clicking here. We think it is pretty awesome that the previous release on this label was a David Bryne/Brian Eno collaboration.

]]> Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=468 A NEW ALBUM FROM CASTANETS

Castanets' contribution to the American music canon has always been a strange, experimental, defiant one. Beer-soaked country rock gone contrarian noise. Corpse-y folk and desert blues. Live shows and past records brought free-jazz and Nashville together or went dub like it was casual. But no matter how out there it's gone, Castanets' music has always had this sly, wizened eye for catchiness and a quiet, laidback flirtation with beats. In the five years since Castanets main-man Raymond Raposa dropped his debut, Cathedral, it has always seemed like Raposa was just one step away from writing a whopper of a totally accessible pop record.

And here it is, Texas Rose, The Thaw, and The Beasts. Only it's not. By some dark alchemy, Castanets has managed to craft an album that is as catchy and well-defined as it is full of experimentation. And more so. More so on the catchy. More so on the song-craft. More so on the clean, majestic classy production (courtesy of our own Rafter Roberts). But also more so on the noise, the haunted electronics, and the all-out remodeling of American song forms.

It's something new and it's something epic - and it satisfies. There are many things we can ask for from our music but to be satisfied is paramount. Texas Rose, The Thaw, and The Beasts, the brand-new record from Castanets, is out September 22nd. You can read more about the album here.

In between now and then, Castanets are touring, extensively through June. Those tourdates are here.

]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=467 ROYAL CITY STILL BURNS

Royal City is all but gone, but that doesn't mean much for the next few weeks. We are fortunate enough to be the ones releasing their rarity and A-class B-side album in just a couple of weeks. Fig & Mint just posted their review, and they seemed to like it. Details here.

So there's that. Also, fans and friends of the band (and there are many in each category) have put together a set of tribute shows. One's in Guelph (of course) at Ebar on June 24th, with proceeds benefiting Out on the Shelf and Guelph's Queer Library and Resource Center. The other is at Tranzac on June 26th, benefitting Tranzac and the Toronto Cat Rescue. Both events are $10. Copies of the album will be for sale. Confirmed performers include:

Andy Magoffin (Two-Minute Miracles) - Chad Ross* (Quest for Fire/Nordic Nomadic) - Cry, Cry Papsmear - Evan (ex-Royal City) & Geordie Gordon (The Magic/Human Highway/Islands) - Evening Hymns* - Gavin Gardiner (The Wooden Sky) - Gentleman Reg* - I Am Robot and Proud* - Jeff Peers* (Anagram) - Jenny Omnichord - Magali Meagher (Phonemes/Metal Kites) - Nathan Lawr (ex-Royal City/FemBots) – Noah23 - Scott-o-Bot (Ragg Mopp) - Steven LuChuck (ex-We’re Marching On/Ohbijou) - Woolly Leaves* (Constantines) + more.

]]> Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=466 HELADO NEGRO PLAYS LIVE, MIXES TAPE, AND BUSTS TWEETERS
Photo by Kristi Sword

For those of you in the New York area, be sure to catch the debut performance of Helado Negro at the Sycamore on June 12th, featuring Roberto Lange on various instruments and vocals, Nathan Michel on percussion, Isaac Lekach on guitars and vocals, Joe Stickney on drums, and Oliver Chapoy on guitar and bass. Get more info here.

If you are looking for some tunes to kick off your summer lounging we recommend you head over to Fader.com and grab Roberto Lange's and Jaytram's Elastic Island mix. Read and listen here.

Not one to be satisfied by the soundless and at times lifeless 140 characters of the twitter format, Helado Negro has hijacked the twitter-waves to offer up an ongoing series of "musical tweets". #TuiteroRoto is a collection of 30 second soundbites to accent your twitter experience. Be it My Brightest Diamond ticket giveaways, I Heart Lung tour economics, Future Rapper's...well, whatever it is that Future Rapper does, there are plenty of great reasons to follow our artists as well as the label on the old twitterbox.

Twitter:
Helado Negro - http://twitter.com/HeladoNegro
Shannon Stephens - http://twitter.com/S_Stephens_AKR
My Brightest Diamond - http://twitter.com/zosima
DM Stith - http://twitter.com/dmstith
Chris Schlarb - http://twitter.com/schlarb
Future Rapper - http://twitter.com/futurerapper
Asthmatic Kitty - http://twitter.com/asthmatickitty

]]> Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=464 WE SCREAM FOR CHRIS SCHLARB'S WE SCREAM

Chris Schlarb and his wife Adrianna love ice cream. And who doesn't, especially on a hot summer day, delivered (for a fee) straight to your sidewalk via ice cream truck or cart? That's where the Schlarbs' We Scream: Voices From The Ice Cream Underground starts, the moment where the ice cream passes hands and the driver makes his or her way down the street.

This summer, the Schlarbs will try to capture on camera at least some of these people and their stories. But they need your help. They are using Kickstarter, a new website created to help fund interesting and creative ideas and endeavors. As of right now, the We Scream project is currently 50% funded at $1000. You can buy into the documentary, with varying tiers, as well as watch a descriptive video and read about the project here. The Long Beach District Weekly also has a write-up here.

]]> Sat, 06 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=463 IT'S A BEEN A LONG TIME COMING - THE BREADWINNER, FROM SHANNON STEPHENS
Photo by La Luz Photography

The last time you heard something from Shannon Stephens, it may very well have been via Bonnie "Prince" Billy/Will Oldham, who covered her "I'll Be Glad" on Lie Down In The Light. Before that - well, it would have been her nearly decade-old self-titled debut.

Wait no longer. This fall, we'll be incalculably happy to release Stephens' second album, which she has entitled The Breadwinner. Having heard it, we can tell you that it sounds comfortable and daring at the same time, kind of like one of those late hour over-coffee conversations with a close friend. Shannon is a singer-songwriter in the good kind of classic sense, and the production is just fantastic all over. We think most of you and yours will really enjoy the album.

You can hear "In Summer in the Heat" exclusively on Paste right here, or read details about the album here.

]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=462 I HEART LUNG LP RELEASED ON THOR'S HAMMER [FREE MP3]

The vinyl-only label Thor's Hammer conceived their Ecstatic Jazz Duo LP series in 2007 with I Heart Lung in mind. The two-piece band now takes its place in the second installment in the series on an LP that is now available. I Heart Lung fills Side A with three symphonies worth of riots, while DWMTG occupies Side B.

You can buy the LP for $13 on their website, here.

"Axes Only" (Download)

]]> Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=461 ESPOIR NOW OUT [FREE MP3]

The debut album from Hermas Zopoula, Espoir, is now officially out and available for purchase. Zopoula recorded the first disc in the official Burkina Faso government studio, and the second in his backyard, sidestreet, and living room.

WE LOVE YOU SO, a blog documenting some of the influences on Spike Jonze's upcoming Where the Wild Things Are, listed Espoir as one of them. And Thom Jurek at allmusic called the album one of the "great surprises of 2009."

It might be a while before Zopoula makes his way from Burkina Faso to the U.S., so he has instead recorded no less than a dozen videos. Some are official music video, some are interviews, and some are impromptu recordings. All are enjoyable. You can watch them here.

Buy the album here.

"Courons, Courez" (Download)

]]> Sat, 23 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=460 FOL CHEN - COAL - KID ICARUS - MORE

BreakThruRadio, which is a fine listen by the way, recently covered Fol Chen. The write-up, quite a delicious read, includes references to coal mining, Kid Icarus, and Disney artist kiosks. That warrants attention in our books. If you have a few minutes, spend them perusing this fine piece on BreakThruRadio, right here.


]]> Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=459 ROUNDING UP CRYPTACIZE
Photo by williac

Next week, Cryptacize begins a massive intercontinental tour. That makes today as good a time as any to recap and roundup Cryptacize related news across the net of inter. Let's hop to it!

First, the goodies. Cryptacize has been planting little mixes in a couple of places across the cyberscape. We've done you the favor of compiling them for you. Mix 1 ("A Rainbow's Revenge") is right here, Mix 2 ("Find Someone") is here, Mix 3 ("The Eternal City") is here, and the latest, Mix 4 ("The Edge of the World"), is here. Chris Cohen, guitarist of the quartet, has also generated a terrific little mix entitled "Awkward Shadow," available on Porch of the Mystics here. They are all good. You now have hours of listening ahead of you!

Ok, second, people are digging the new album, which is nice. David Bryne included Cryptacize on his April 2009 mix (here). Nate Chinen, a critic, at the New York Times listed Mythomania as one of his choices here. The ever-intrepid XLR8R said Mythomania is full of "pleasant pop moments." And Under the Radar used words like sharp, tasteful, deliberate, dynamic, and beautiful in their review. Thanks guys!

Speaking of UTR, they've published a terribly fun interview with the band. You can read it here.

And don't forget their tour! They'll be in Europe until June 12th, where you may be able to buy Cryptacize's new 7", coming out on Slowboy (see here). Then they'll barely have enough time to adjust their clocks before they're touring in the U.S. starting in LA on the 23rd. See here for details.

]]> Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.asthmatickitty.com/news.php?newsID=458