1/31/2024

Due to Overwhelming Demand, Joni Mitchell Adds Second Date at the Hollywood Bowl October 20


DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND
JONI MITCHELL ANNOUNCES SECOND HOLLYWOOD BOWL SHOW OCTOBER 20, 2024
 
THE ‘JONI JAM’ RETURNS FEATURING BRANDI CARLILE
OCTOBER 19 & 20, 2024
 
 
LOS ANGELES – Due to overwhelming demand, nine-time Grammy® Award Winner, Rock & Rock Hall of Famer, Kennedy Center Honoree, Gershwin-prize winner and music icon Joni Mitchell announces a second Hollywood Bowl show on October 20, 2024. These will be her first shows in Los Angeles since 2000. Mitchell’s live return to California will feature Brandi Carlile and the Joni Jam. Tickets will be available for Joni’s presale Thursday, February 1 with the general on sale Friday, February 2nd.
 
This Sunday Joni Mitchell will perform at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. This will be Mitchell’s first-ever performance at the GRAMMY Awards®; she is currently nominated for Best Folk Album (Joni Mitchell at Newport). Mitchell received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, having been described as "one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era" and "a powerful influence on all artists who embrace diversity, imagination and integrity".
 
In the past two years, Mitchell has triumphantly returned to the stage. First, at Newport Folk Festival in 2022, and this past June, she headlined a once-in-a-lifetime “Joni Jam” at the Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington. Some featured guests included Annie Lennox, Sarah McLachlan, Marcus Mumford, Wynonna Judd, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, Wendy and Lisa of Prince’s Revolution, Lucius and more.  Mitchell’s show at The Gorge was her first ticketed show in 20 years.
 
Mitchell’s live return was commemorated earlier this year with Grammy-nominated JONI MITCHELL AT NEWPORT, the live album released by Rhino on CD and 2-LP black vinyl produced by close collaborator Brandi Carlile, along with Mitchell and featured liner notes by Cameron Crowe.
 
Over the past three years, Mitchell's expansive musical career has been archived through Grammy® Award-winning historical boxed sets released via Rhino Records. The Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971), and Vol. 3: The Asylum Years (1972-1975) feature unreleased home, live, and radio recordings of Mitchell's illustrious songwriting and singing.
 
About Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, the beloved Canadian singer-songwriter, profoundly impacted folk, rock, and pop music through her distinctive voice, innovative guitar playing, and a unique ability to craft poetic and thought-provoking lyrics.
 
Her prolific recording career began in 1968, resulting in a remarkable 19 studio albums and six live records, including platinum and multi-platinum selling. She is celebrated for her ability to seamlessly blend folk, jazz, and rock influences to create an instantly recognizable sound that is both timely and timeless. Her classic songs like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You,” “Help Me,” and “Both Sides, Now,” continue to strike a chord with listeners. Beyond her musical talents, Mitchell is also a gifted painter, having said she considers herself a "painter derailed by circumstance” and her artwork often graces her album covers, underscoring her boundless creativity.
 
For nearly six decades, Mitchell’s extensive contributions to music have earned her numerous accolades. She is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (1997) and a member of the Canadian Music Hall of Fame (1981). Rolling Stone ranks her among the greatest songwriters (#9), singers (#50), and guitarists (#9) of all time. Her most recent Grammy win came in 2022 when the first volume of her ongoing Joni Mitchell Archives series earned the award for Best Historical Album. 
 
Today, Mitchell’s influence is undeniable. The Kennedy Center Honors recognized her lifetime contribution to American culture in 2021. In 2023, she was awarded the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song at an all-star tribute concert in Washington, D.C.
 
About Live Nation-Hewitt Silva & Hollywood Bowl
Live Nation-Hewitt Silva (LNHS) is the exclusive promoter of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl outside of the LA Philharmonic summer season. Andrew Hewitt and Bill Silva have produced non-classical concerts at the Hollywood Bowl since 1991, hosting artists such as the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Dolly Parton, Eagles, Whitney Houston, Fleetwood Mac, Sade, Radiohead, Sting, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Nicks, Billy Joel, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Coldplay, Lauryn Hill, Peter Gabriel, Dead & Company, Lana Del Rey, Depeche Mode, Tame Impala, Roger Waters, The Weeknd, and countless others. With their combined superior talent bookings and music offerings, LNHS has transformed the iconic venue to become L.A.'s premier contemporary concert destination. One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the Hollywood Bowl has been awarded Pollstar's "Outdoor Concert Venue of the Year" 15 times. It was also awarded Billboard's "Top Amphitheater" several times. The summer of 2024 lineup features some of the biggest names in contemporary entertainment, such as Puscifer, A Perfect Circle, Primus, Jerry Seinfeld, Sebastian Maniscalco, Nate Bargatze, Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, John Mulaney, Seth Rogan, Matt Rife, Taylor Tomlinson, Sarah Silverman, Nikki Glaser, Michelle Buteau, Kevin Hart, Trevor Noah, Sarah McLachlan, Caifanes & Café Tacvba, Noah Kahan, and Chris Stapleton.
 

OMD Share "Kleptocracy" Video, Limited Edition Singles Out 3/22 | NA Tour To Be Announced | 'Bauhaus Staircase' LP Out Now via White Noise

OMD Share "Kleptocracy" Video

Track Taken from Critically Acclaimed New LP Bauhaus Staircase,
Out Now via White Noise

Limited Edition "Kleptocracy" Physical Bundles Out March 22, 
Pre-Order Now

Fall 2024 North American Tour Dates TBA in February,
Tickets for LA Show at The Greek (9/20) On Sale Now
Photo by Ed Miles
LISTEN/PURCHASE & SHARE: OMD - Bauhaus Staircase LP
Stream / Purchase

WATCH & SHARE: OMD - "Kleptocracy"
YouTube

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OMD - "Anthropocene"
Stream / YouTube

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OMD - "Veruschka"
Stream / YouTube

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OMD - "Slow Train"
Stream / YouTube

LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: OMD - "Bauhaus Staircase"
Stream / YouTube
Over the past four decades — give or take a decade break — the illustrious and critically acclaimed Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) have sold over 40 million records worldwide, establishing them as electronic synthesiser pioneers and one of Britain’s best-loved pop groups. Their 13 long players include benchmark-raising classics Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (1980), Organisation (1980), Architecture & Morality (1981), and Dazzle Ships (1983). OMD conquered the United States, and yielded the 1986 hit, "If You Leave" from the Pretty In Pink Soundtrack.

OMD returned last year with their first new studio album since 2017's highly praised The Punishment Of Luxury, a record entitled Bauhaus Staircase (released via White Noise through The Orchard). The record is regarded as OMD's most explicitly political record and the crowning achievement of their desire to be both Stockhausen and Abba - born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown when, as Andy McCluskey admits: "I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom."

In further celebration of the LP, OMD has shared a brand new music video for their track "Kleptocracy," taken from last year's impeccable UK Top 2-charting studio album. Mixed by the album’s main external influence, rock producer David Watts (The Reytons’ recent #1 album), the clattering, hectic "Kleptocracy" is OMD’s greatest straight-up protest song — its chewy discourse wrapped in an absolute earworm.

As Andy McCluskey says: "This is the most political song that we have ever recorded. The band believes that democracy is the only legitimate way to balance different opinions and create a functioning representative government. Sadly, we are living through times that see us ruled by thieves and flagrant liars. Democracy has been subverted by 'Kleptocracy.'"

"Kleptocracy" will also be released on limited edition 7", 12", and CD singles (due March 22) — available for purchase here.
OMD - Kleptocracy [OFFICIAL VIDEO]
After last year's standout performance at Huntington Beach's Darker Waves Festival (alongside New Order, Tears for Fears, Soft Cell, The B-52s, DEVO, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, and more) in addition to an after show at the House of Blues AnaheimOMD have also recently announced their return to the States in celebration of their new LP.

OMD will take to the stage at The Greek in Los Angeles on September 20 — tickets are on sale NOW. More Fall 2024 North American tour dates are too be announced in February.

In addition to their forthcoming North American tour, OMD are also playing 40 dates across the Europe, UK & Ireland this year, including their biggest ever London headline show at London’s O2 Arena on March 24th. 
Tickets and more information for all of OMD's forthcoming live dates can be found HERE.
Bauhaus Staircase - TRACKLISTING:

01. Bauhaus Staircase
02. Anthropocene
03. Look At You Now
04. G.E.M.
05. Where We Started
06. Veruschka
07. Slow Train
08. Don't Go
09. Kleptocracy
10. Aphrodite's Favorite Child
11. Evolution of Species
12. Healing
Bauhaus Staircase - LP BIO:

By rights, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark should be in semi-retirement, performing classics like "Enola Gay" and "Maid Of Orleans" on the nostalgia festival circuit like so many peers.

Instead, they’ve created a landmark album worthy of their finest work. Having made one of their most universally acclaimed albums last time out, when 2017’s The Punishment Of Luxury returned Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys to the Top Five for the first time since 1991’s Sugar Tax, the duo have somehow managed to better it. Welcome to Bauhaus Staircase, both OMD’s most explicitly political record and the crowning achievement of their desire to be both Stockhausen and Abba.

The universal love shown for The Punishment Of Luxury meant there were doubts about making a new album at all. "The fans and the critics said: 'You can put The Punishment Of Luxury up against their best work' and rated it next to Architecture And Morality or Dazzle Ships," notes Paul Humphreys. "The reception was so good, we thought: 'Maybe we should stop now, at the top,' so the idea of making a new record had some trepidation for us."

McCluskey agrees, explaining: "We’ve worked hard to rebuild ourselves since reforming, and we’re in a wonderful position where we’re cooler than we’ve been for a long time. We wouldn’t forgive ourselves if we released an album where fans said: 'Oh no, this is the one where they’re a pastiche of themselves.' If Bauhaus Staircase is to be our last album, we’re going out with a strong statement."

The new album’s beautiful film noir ballad "Veruschka" exemplifies the determination OMD had to make Bauhaus Staircase an album to rank among their finest. McCluskey reasons: "My attitude is like I say in that song: if you’re too afraid to jump off the cliff, you’ll never learn to fly. We couldn’t keep saying: 'It’s not going to work.' You have to keep trying, to see where you end up."

The impetus to kickstart new explorations came during lockdown when, as McCluskey admits: "I rediscovered the power of total boredom." He acknowledges he was privileged to have that comfort, but being stuck at home took the singer back to his earliest days as a songwriter: "It was like being a teenager, mum watching Kojak and me thinking: 'Fuck this, I’m going to my room to write a song.' For the first time since then, there was nothing else to do. It’s good inspiration."

McCluskey had long wanted to write songs called "Anthropocene," "Kleptocracy," and "Bauhaus Staircase." Here was his chance. Humphreys, meanwhile, used lockdown to revisit his stockpile of ideas. "Andy and I never dispose of a song idea," he laughs. The music for "Veruschka" dates back to the unmade second album for Onetwo, Humphreys’ short-lived duo with Propaganda singer Claudia Brucken"I discovered 'Veruschka,' and Andy immediately said: 'Oh yeah, I’m having that!' He’s written such a beautiful lyric for it. 'Anthropocene' was Andy’s concept, but he couldn’t think of the right music for it. I gave Andy a cool track I’d found from years ago, and he said: ‘I’m going to abandon my backing track, this is much more interesting.'"

To save anyone Googling, "Anthropocene" is the term for the current era in Earth’s evolution, when mankind is directly affecting it. A spiritual heir of Dazzle Ships’ mordant electro bangers, "Anthropocene" is a six-minute masterclass in tension as a voiceover starkly intones how mankind is 'crushing all diversity' of other species, while essentially remaining a 'geological hiccup.' Spoiler alert: the final line is "One million years from now, global human population is zero."

It's a song where McCluskey’s boyhood dream to become a paleoanthropologist finally gets to roam around in OMD’s music, and is worth the wait. "I’m fascinated by the various human forms over the past millions of years," he says. "We as human beings are changing the planet in a physical way, creating our own geological epoch." A laugh. "The current Anthropocene epoch, that’s the sort of thing I write songs about. This stuff is all in my head and comes out in my lyrics. I’m not the average songwriter. Paul’s track was 'That’s it!,' then became bigger and bigger, a programming journey."

The ominous narratives on "Anthropocene" and its companion track, the sinister "Evolution Of Species," were achieved by Google’s Text-To-Speak function. "I got bored of vocoders," smiles McCluskey. "I was looking for alternative ways of putting lyrics into songs that didn’t require me to sing them. The different languages in 'Evolution Of Species' are via Google Translate – I hope it’s done them properly."

If those songs show OMD’s icily electronic side, then "Look At You Now," "Where We Started," and the stunning closer "Healing" rival any ballads in McCluskey and Humphreys’ 45-year career. "That’s a constant thread in OMD," acknowledges Humphreys. "We like our pop side: we’ve been blessed with a knack for writing commercial melodies. But there’s always the deeper side too."

"Where We Started" manages to convey a world of empathy and solace in just 34 words. "I had nothing more to say than those lyrics," nods McCluskey. "It’s a song for someone I care deeply about, saying: 'I’m sorry you’re hurting. I love you and, if you ever need a hug, let’s go back to page one.' We were all isolated from each other during Covid, concerned for our health and future, but it was also a time of great compassion. Several songs on this album, although it was completely unconsciously, are about love and support in difficult times."

Conversely, the clattering, hectic "Kleptocracy" is OMD’s greatest straight-up protest song. It was written at the start of lockdown but, as McCluskey points out: "References to Trump, Johnson, and Putin are sadly still relevant. They just won’t fuck off." The line "It doesn’t matter who you vote for, they’ve bought the man you elected" summarises the duo’s disgust at the current state of democracy. "Dazzle Ships was about the Cold War, but we haven’t been so overtly political before," says Humphreys. "The older we get, the more forthright we get. You have to be politically aware in the current climate, because there’s so much craziness going on that you’re forced into an opinion."

The chewy discourse of 'Kleptocracy' is wrapped in an absolute earworm. "It’s what we do," laughs McCluskey. "'Enola Gay' wasn’t the most palatable lyrical content, but that’s got a very catchy tune."

Protest is also present in Bauhaus Staircase’s title track. Named after German artist Oskar Schlemmer’s 1932 painting, recreated by Roy Lichtenstein in 1988 for his Pop Art series of classics, it’s a nod both to McCluskey’s love of the Bauhaus era, the power of protest art, and his sadness as a trustee of National Museums Liverpool that Governments tend to cut arts funding just when times are hard and we need our souls nourishing. 

"We knew 'Bauhaus Staircase' had to open the album and 'Healing' had to end it," McCluskey reveals. "'Bauhaus Staircase' has this energy that grabs you as soon as the record starts. It starts aggressively, then it just builds and builds until it’s a maelstrom of synths and howling vocals."

The tender "Healing" is a moment of reflective calm after the myriad emotions preceding it. It’s a rare OMD co-write, with lyrics by McCluskey’s friend, Liverpool singer-songwriter Caroline England, and production from Uwe Schmidt, who records as both lounge star Senor Coconut and glitch artist Atom TM. McCluskey says: "Caroline had said, semi-jokingly, that if I ever have writers’ block, she’d write some words for us. I called her bluff. What Caroline wrote works so well that I feel so comfortable singing 'Healing.' We’re big fans of Atom TM, so I sent Uwe the demo of 'Healing,' asking him to make it sound more modern. He took the rather lumpy musical idea I’d had and created a fantastic ambient electro swirl. Healing is such a beautiful song, emotionally very powerful."

Humphreys and McCluskey envisage 'Healing' as a centrepiece in OMD’s new tour in April, which climaxes with a huge concert at London O2. "That’ll be a landmark, but it’s also terrifying to play such a big show," admits Humphreys. "We always conceptualise how we look for each album, and we never scrimp on the budget. We love putting on a good show." McCluskey adds: "Our touring sales have gone up exponentially in the last decade. We’ve been a bit of a secret band, but now that people have had chance to see us, they tend to come back."

The new album’s other main external influence is David Watts. Mainly known as a rock producer, who helmed Sheffield band The Reytons’ recent No 1 album What’s Rock And Roll?, Watts mixed "Kleptocracy" and the raucous glam-tinged explosion, "Slow Train." "David chose the right songs to work on," notes Humphreys. "I’m a clean, electro mixer, whereas David brought some rock elements which enhances those songs appropriately."

Humphreys ceded mixing the whole album as he became a second-time father two years ago, explaining: "I’ve got the sweetest kid, who’s taken up quite a bit of my time. I don’t want to work quite as hard as I have in the past, as I don’t want my daughter saying to my wife: 'Who’s that guy over there?' 'That’s actually your dad.'"

If real life meant OMD were happy to get help, Bauhaus Staircase remains unmistakably the work of a duo who are still perfectly in sync 45 years after their first gig at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s. They wouldn’t have released the album if it wasn’t up to The Punishment Of Luxury’s exacting standards. "We might be seen as 'heritage,' but we’re not going to make a new album just so we can have a new logo on our T-shirts," insists McCluskey. Or, as McCluskey summarises: "I’m very happy with what we’ve done on this record. I’m comfortable if this is OMD’s last statement."
PRAISE FOR BAUHAUS STAIRCASE
 
"A stellar return blessed with power, determination and conviction." 9/10*
- CLASH

"If Bauhaus Staircase is OMD’s final album, it’s a hell of a last studio statement" 4.5/5*
- Classic Pop Magazine

"Bauhaus Staircase shows OMD thriving as much as surviving" 4/5*
- MOJO

"'Bauhaus Staircase' is a swoony, propulsive piece of classic-style synthpop"
- Stereogum

"'Veruschka' exemplifies the duo's determination to continue taking risks"
- Retropop Magazine

"What Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark is doing in their fifth decade of existence is nothing short of astounding. They are on a creative run the likes of which even the best bands rarely have once, never mind a second time when the core band members are in their 60s, and the band’s new album Bauhaus Staircase may be the best of the bunch."
- PopDose

"'Bauhaus Staircase' is a tempest of gritty analogue synths that scrape and resonate. Elevated by celestial electronic melodies and underscored by the relentless thump of 808 drums, the track is a kinetic whirlwind that intensifies, without reprieve, for a gripping four-minute odyssey."
- Post-Punk

"Bauhaus Staircase is continued evidence that some recorded comebacks happen to be exactly the right thing for a group to do [...] It may occasionally sound warmly, comfortingly like the past, but this is an album with its mind fixed firmly on the future."
- Record Collector
OMD LINKS
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify | Apple Music

Looper Announce 25th Anniversary Reissue Of 'Up A Tree' || Share New Remix Of "Columbo's Car"

LOOPER 
ANNOUNCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE 
OF DEBUT LP UP A TREE

OUT DIGITALLY MARCH 8, 2024 
& ON VINYL & CD MARCH 22, 2024 ON MUTE

LISTEN TO A NEW REMIX OF 
COLUMBO’S CAR

photo courtesy of Looper

 

Today LOOPER (Stuart and Karn David) have shared details of the 25th Anniversary release of their debut album, Up A Tree. Originally released by Sub Pop in 1999, this anniversary edition will include remixes, reworks, new sleeve notes and alternative artwork. It will be released digitally on March 8th, 2024 and on transparent green vinyl (accompanied by a Flexi Disc) and double CD on March 22, 2024 in US/CA.

Pre-order it HERE

Up A Tree was completed while Stuart was still working with Belle & Sebastian which he co-founded in 1995. “I wanted to expand on the spoken word style I’d discovered on ‘A Century of Elvis’ and ‘Spaceboy Dream',” he says, “and technology had just reached a point where I thought it might be possible to make an album entirely on the PC.” 

Up A Tree brought Looper instant acclaim (including an 8.1 review in Pitchfork, who credited the album with originating a new genre they dubbed Folk-Hop). It reached #21 on the UK Independent Album chart, #79 on the Scottish Albums Chart and brought in fans such as Ben Folds who recently called Up A Tree “… a gift of a record,” going on to say, “Looper was in my Walkman headphones on a few memorable tours. I just left the CD, Up A Tree, in the player and watched the scenery go by as we traveled. Both burned into my head.”

The 25th Anniversary release launches with a new remix of “Columbo’s Car,” the Peugeot 403 Mix (and yes, that’s the model of Columbo’s infamous car).

Listen to it HERE. 

The vinyl edition of Up A Tree comes with a Flexi Disc of “Brilliant Paper,” an unreleased track by Looper in collaboration with the visual artist and Life Without Buildings singer, Sue Tompkins, recorded in Glasgow at the turn of the millennium. The double CD includes a remix by Pulp (credited as The Chocolate layers), as well as reimagined instrumentals and acoustic versions by the band themselves. The anniversary edition also features alternative artwork designed by Karn and includes new sleeve notes by Sub Pop’s Jenny Hayo, who recounts working with Looper on their first records and US tour. Stuart’s sister, Karla Black, takes us back to Glasgow School of Art in 1998, reminiscing about the first Looper show: a multimedia affair incorporating TVs, super 8 film, 35mm slides and kinetic sculptures to accompany Stuart’s spoken word songs. Since nothing broke down and everybody clapped they decided to keep doing it.

To date, Looper have released six albums via Sub Pop, Jeepster & Mute, including the 5CD box set, These Things, 2015’s Offgrid:Offline and 2018’s acoustic collection of classic Looper material, Quiet & Small. Many of their tracks have appeared in film soundtracks, including “Mondo 77” which featured in Cameron Crowe's 2001 film, Vanilla Sky.

Looper’s most recent album, A Luminous Place, is out now on digital platforms and limited-edition cassette.

Looper Up A Tree 25th Anniversary reissue is out digitally on March 8, 2024  and on vinyl and cd March 22, 2024: https://mute.ffm.to/looper_uat_25

 

CD TRACKLISTING

 CD1:
1. The Treehouse
2. Impossible Things #2
3. Burning Flies
4. Festival '95
5. Ballad of Ray Suzuki
6. Dave The Moon Man
7. Quiet And Small
8. Columbo's Car
9. Up A Tree Again
10. Back to the Treehouse
 

CD2: 
1. Back to the Treehouse (Ambient Mix)
2. Ray's Golden Fist (Bananahand Remix)
3. Burning Flies (Acoustic)
4. Columbo's Car (Peugeot 403 Mix)
5. Blurred Stars
6. Up A Tree Again (The Chocolate Layers St. John's Ambulance Mix)
7. Quiet and Small (Acoustic)
8. Dave the Moon Man (Scott Twynholm Remix)
9. Impossible Things
10. Up A Tree Again (Acoustic)


VINYL TRACKLISTING:
1. The Treehouse
2. Impossible Things #2
3. Burning Flies
4. Festival '95
5. Ballad of Ray Suzuki
6. Dave The Moon Man
7. Quiet And Small
8. Columbo's Car
9. Up A Tree Again
10. Back to the Treehouse

+ Brilliant Paper on flexi disc

 

CONNECT WITH LOOPER
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | BANDCAMP
 

CONNECT WITH MUTE:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | TIK TOK WEB 

jjuujjuu Share "SOME" feat. Boogarins + Perfroming at Coachella | Experimental Collective Fronted By Desert Daze Co-Founder Phil Pirrone

jjuujjuu

EXPERIMENTAL COLLECTIVE FRONTED BY DESERT DAZE CO-FOUNDER PHIL PIRRONE SHARE NEW SINGLE


“SOME (FEAT. BOOGARINS)” - LISTEN HERE 


PERFORMING AT COACHELLA 2024

jjuujjuu Photo by Pooneh Ghana 


jjuujjuu returns with their first single of the new year, “SOME” featuring Brazilian psych rock band, Boogarins. The Los Angeles-based experimental collective led by Desert Daze co-founder Phil Pirrone, are also confirmed to perform for the first time at Coachella this year, and have announced additional tour dates. Listen to “SOME (feat. Boogarins)” HERE and see tour dates below.


jjuujjuu tour dates

4/12 San Francisco, CA - The Chapel

4/14 Indio, CA - Coachella

4/21 Indio, CA - Coachella

5/17 Austin, TX - 13th Floor

5/19 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme

5/20 Detroit, MI - Lager House

5/21 Toronto, ON - The Garrison

5/27 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera a la ciutat

7/30 Ft Collins, CO - Aggie Theater

7/31 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge

8/1 Vancouver, BC - The Pearl

8/6 Atlanta, GA - The Earl


Tracked remotely between Los Angeles and Brazil between 2020/2021, Pirrone notes of the new song, “We sent the track to Boogarins, who added a really beautiful bridge to the song, and vocals oscillating between English and Portuguese. Something in this song recalls early childhood memories of Muppet Babies or Elton John ‘Benny and the Jets’... but in a really weird (but good) way. End result feels like a flower dancing on the sand under a Sao Paolo sun.”


LISTEN & SHARE "SOME (FEAT. BOOGARINS)"

In 2023, the collective performed in New York City, at London’s Wide Awake Festival, the San Diego Freakout Fest and more. They also launched their JJUUJJUU & Friends monthly residency at Los Angeles’ Gold Diggers which ran through the Fall of 2023, and recreated the annual closing ceremonies tradition of Desert Daze featuring explorations in improvisational music with special guests and surprises. Each show featured friends of the band and Desert Daze mainstays including John Dwyer & Tomas Dolas (OSEES), L.A. Witch, Morgan Delt, Kelli Scott (Failure), Bonnie & Larry of Death Valley Girls, Art Feynman, comedy From UCB’s Cardinal Redbird, KCRW DJs including Travis Holcolmbe and Tyler Boudreaux, a first ever pop-up gallery from Marquee Marauders Club, and much much more including surprise guests at each show. 


Look for much more from jjuujjuu in 2024! 


“SOME (feat. Boogarins)” Packshot 


ABOUT jjuujjuu

In 2011, after ten years of touring as a bass player, Pirrone borrowed an SG and a DL4, and began his exploration of recording looped based music. JJUUJJUU’s debut release, 2013’s FRST EP, and subsequent stand alone single, “Bleck,” began to build excitement about the project. Throughout this period the lineup and instrumentation of JJUUJJUU moved in step with the project’s ethos of ephemera and flux, as JJUUJJUU continued to tour in several different configurations with Pirrone at their center, sharing stages with Claypool Lennon Delirium, Tortoise, Allah-Las, Temples, Tinariwen and others. 


Over the next several years, Pirrone recorded in various spaces around California to document the songs that would eventually make up JJUUJJUU’s debut LP, Zionic Mud. The album’s release was accompanied by alternate versions of the tracks remixed or reimagined by many of the band’s notable supporters including J Mascis, jennylee of Warpaint, Liars, Metz and Autolux. In support of Zionic Mud, JJUUJJUU toured opening for Primus, Mastodon, Kikagaku Moyo, Earthless and festivals including Pickathon, Nelsonville, M3F, and more. 


Pirrone and company recorded two follow ups to 2018's Zionic Mud in spring of 2020. With extra time on his hands, Pirrone taught himself how to record and then sent tracks to long time band members Ian Gibbs and Joseph Assef. The tracks were sent around to Boogarins, Alex Edkins (Metz), and additional friends to be revealed soon. The band eventually wound up at Rancho De La Luna and put finishing touches on the record with Dave Catching and Jon Russo. 


2023 saw the collective play a string of shows around the globe including their Los Angeles residency at Gold Diggers. They also shared new music including “Nowhere,” “Daisy Chain,” “Crappy New Year and No Way In.”


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