NEWS ROUNDUP: Music Festivals, YACHT, & Other Music Closure

Festival

  • [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Insert Joke About YACHT’s PR Stunt Sinking Like The Titanic]

    Earlier this week, you may have seen some hasty news reports about YACHT taking to Facebook to ask fans not to watch a sex tape of the couple that was leaked by a third party. They received an outpouring of sympathy, and a few hours later, stated they would be selling the sex tape as a way to take control of the situation. Some of their celebrity friends had tweeted about it, but no parts of the video could be found online, and the website selling it appeared to have crashed. Then the truth came out: it was all a hoax. Last month, the band had pitched the terrible marketing ploy to the publication Jezebel. In an email, the band stated, “In the days leading up to the video’s release, we’re going to pretend we were hacked…then try to “get out in front of it” and sell the sex tape, fake a server crash, etc.” When the it became widely known that the whole thing was a way to hock a new music video, the sympathy they received quickly turned to outrage. Even their PR company distanced themselves from the band. Nice try, YACHT.

  • NYC Record Store ‘Other Music’ Is Closing

    The East Village record, which regularly hosted live performances, announced this week that it would be closing on 6/25. The store opened it 1995 and outlived the chain music store Tower Records. The label associated with the store, however, will continue. Check out a video of Frankie Cosmos playing at the store last week:

  • Music Festival Announcements

    Summer is almost here! Don’t miss out on some great music, in the great outdoors in New York and beyond. Here are some festivals that recently released their lineups:

    • Hopscotch Music Festival – From 9/8-9/10, Raleigh, N.C., will host such acts as Erykah Badu, Beach House, Andrew Bird, Television, Converge, Big Freedia, Kelela, Baroness, Twin Peaks, Beach Slang, Julien Baker, Lavender Country, and many, many more. One day tickets will go on sale this summer; three day passes are already available.

    • Destination Moon – Its website describes the event as “dedicated to providing an immersive artistic experience with the smallest possible ecological footprint.” The event takes place 6/17-6/19 in Wurtsboro, NY and attendees have the chance to see artists including Antibalas, Delicate Steve, Porches, Moon Hooch, Sam Evian, You Bred Raptors? and more TBA.

    • Roots Picnic – Rolling Stone describes The Roots as “the hardest working band in hip-hop,” and if you feeling like going slightly out of state you can catch them in action. They’ll be backing Usher and hosting Future, Leon Bridges, Kelhani, Lolawolf and more at the Festival Pier in Philadelphia on 6/4.

  • Speedy Ortiz Announce New EP & Single

    “Death Note” is the latest Speedy Ortiz single, from their upcoming EP Foiled Again (Out 6/3 via Carpark Records). The song is named after an anime series, and its plot revolves around a notebook that kills anyone who has their name written in it.  Frontwoman Sadie Dupuis notes: “The song is about writing through your depression as a way to get better, and how in that way a death note can be kind of love letter to yourself.” Check it out:

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ARTIST INTERVIEW: Dan Arnes

Leapling is a three-piece, experimental pop band from Brooklyn. Their last album was the February 2015 release Vacant Page: Ten misleadingly lighthearted tracks punctuated by the soft vocals and pleasantly dissonant guitar of Dan Arnes, the band’s leader. Before Leapling recently left on a short tour, he answered some questions about their upcoming album, musical influences, and how we should label their music, anyway.

AudioFemme: What can you tell me about your upcoming album? When’s the release date?

Dan Arnes: It’s almost completely done. It’s pretty tight but I think we’ll make our date…pretty soon.

I can’t share the name just yet, although if you look in the liner notes of Vacant Page you may find a hint or two. It’s definitely different from Vacant Page: A lot more direct and punchy, not quite as cryptic and tonally, it couldn’t be more different.

Were trying to find a director for the first singles music video now, actually. I loved doing the video for Crooked,” but unfortunately don’t have the bandwidth this time around. That was super fun and rewarding, but very time consuming. Next time.

AF: You recently tweeted, “Writing string arrangements is challenging and time consuming in ways I did not anticipate.” Are you using samples or live arrangements for the strings on the new album?

DA: All live arrangements. I’m writing for a string quartet on a few songs on this new record so it’s pretty prominent. I had strings in mind for these newbies right from the get go this time around. It’s very much part of the songs they’re on. There’s more standard rock stuff on the record too. It’s one big hodgepodge stylistically.

AF: What guitarists have the biggest influence on your playing?

DA: I like all kinds of guitar players, but some of my faves are Jim O’Rourke, John Dietrich, Lou Reed, Cornelius, Arto Lindsay, Sonny Sharrock, Jeff Tweedy, Syd Barrett and Tom Verlaine; People who mix the more interesting rhythmic, chordal stuff with the more angular, dissonant side of things. That’s very much what I respond to in music in general.

AF: Leapling played Palisades on 8/28 and 8/30- do you have a favorite NYC or Brooklyn venue? 

DA: Love Palisades but Shea Stadium is my spot. We go way back with them. Adam, Nora & Luke have been at it for so long and do it so well. We actually recorded this upcoming record at (the Shea Stadium founder) Adam Reich’s studio.

AF: Do you have any gigs you’re especially looking forward to on your tour?

DA: Yeah, we have a bunch of really good ones. I’m particularly excited to do [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Hopscotch Music Festival] this year. Were playing with Pile, Mitski and our awesome local pal SMLH

We always have a blast in DC- the house show scene there is pretty great. Atlanta is cool too, and we’re pals with a lot of awesome bands in New Orleans. There’s some good stuff coming out of there. 

AF: If you had to come up with a new genre to describe your music, what would you call it?

DA: I really should do this… it’d save me a lot of time after people ask “What would you call your music?” I call it noisy pop, weirdo pop… I’m pretty bad at this, it’s all pop to me.

Leapling Tour Dates:

9/09: Richmond, VA – Strange Matter 
9/10: William & Mary College (Williamsburg, VA)
9/11: Hopscotch Music Festival (Raleigh, NC)
9/12: Raleigh, NC – TBA 
9/13: NC State University – WKNC house show 
9/14: College Park, MD
9/15: New Brunswick, NJ – Nowhere, USA 
9/16: Brooklyn, NY – Shea Stadium 

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