Monday, December 29, 2008
THERE IS STILL TIME TO ENTER THE INTIMIDNATION DOODLE CONTEST!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Women's BLACK RICE Named #18 on Pitchfork's "100 Best Tracks of 2008"!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
BRIGHTON MA ON DAYTROTTER !
Ladies and Gents! In what Daytrotter Superman Sean Moeller describes as "easily one of the absolute best we've ever recorded", we are proud to present Brighton MA's Daytrotter Session! Live now, you'll be treated to three songs from the Chicago band's recently released debut 'Amateur Lovers' plus two unreleased tracks. Listen, enjoy, check em out Dec 12 @ Cubby Bear, Dec 27 @ Hideout, and watch for a Windy City residency to be announced later this winter!
Monday, December 1, 2008
RIOT ACT MEDIA. DECEMBER 2008.
Merry yuletide, l’chaim and joyous mistlefruitcakes to you, chums! 2008’s been a banner year for us here at Riot Act, and we couldn’t be prouder or happier to have worked with all of the amazing bands, comedians and artists who’ve graced our roster this year (for a full list of ’08 RAM-repped releases, pls check the end of this newsletter!) This December and into Winter 2009, there’s much going on with our incredible new clients SCREAMING FEMALES, MODERNBOYS MODERNGIRLS, LEONARD MYNXand THE TRADITIONIST, as well as for comedians EUGENE MIRMAN, MATT MCCARTHY, JOHN ROBERTS, JACQUELINE NOVAK, KUMAIL NANJIANI and GRACE PARRA, AND AND AND for ace musicologists MATT AND KIM, AT THE SPINE, LOCH LOMOND, ORIGAMI GHOSTSand STARFLYER 59. Read on, and know that Riot Act Media is sending you the warmest of holiday fuzzies with our minds, telepathy-style.
Oh NYC, you are in luck! Modernboys Moderngirls have chosen you to host their US stage debut next month! MBMG released their hot debut, I Might As Well Break It in Canada this spring, but before they
even had a record released, the band had gained so many fans and so
much attention that they were invited to play alongside huge acts at
NXNE and Canadian Music Week. Led by the songwriting of vocalist
Akira Alemany, MBMG unleash a rock n roll that is part soul and part
garage, a little Reigning Sound fury with Franz Ferdinand drive. I
Might As Well Break It was mixed by Ryan Mils (Born Ruffians), the
US release of the LP will see two bonus tracks added on to the
already outstanding album which made its way into the CBC Radio Top
10 earlier this year. Get an early listen and make an appearance in
the mini-documentary they are filming at their two shows: Jan 2 @
Arlene’s Grocery and Jan 3 @ Trash Bar!
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
HOLY WOW, we get to work with Screaming Females! The band is currently in the studio recording Power Move, their new full-length for Don Giovanni. More news is on its way soon regarding the release, as well as an upcoming Don Giovanni showcase this spring and some sweet Screaming Females shows with Throwing Muses. Athens weekly Flagpole just summed up yr typical. Screaming Females show quite nicely: “The Screaming Females of New Brunswick, NJ are one of those bands that people watch with their jaws on the floor, only tearing their eyes away from the stage to look at each other to confirm they are seeing the same thing. So you’ve got a very Minutemen-y rhythm section (in their more straightforward moments) backing up a frontwoman named Marissa Paternoster. Let’s get the insignificant details out of the way: Ms. Paternoster stands no taller than five feet. She is very much like Prince in this respect; also, she shreds like a motherfucker. We’re talking old-fashioned, blues-based all-out wailing, with some Greg Ginn-inspired noise thrown in for good measure. And her voice? Forget it: quavering throaty moans punctuated by utter shrieks. The Screaming Females are the perfect cross pollination of guitar-god heroics and DIY basement fun, and they do a ripping Neil Young cover. If that’s not enough for you, you are uninvited to my birthday party.”
http://www.screamingfemales.com
http://www.myspace.com/screamingfemales
http://www.dongiovanni.com
http://www.myspace.com/dongiovanni
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Hot off their Fall headlining tour, Matt and Kim are taking a
well-deserved yet short break before heading back out for more shows
in December, all of which are a mere $5! To say that the response to
their upcoming Grand full length has been awesome would be an
understatement. The album is so very Matt and Kim - together they
recorded it in Matt's childhood bedroom with Matt self-producing- and
their fans as well as critics are loving it! FADER will release
Grand early next year and a spring tour has been announced, but
we'll have many more shows coming up so keep an eye on the tours
page. And then go see Matt and Kim!
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
Seattle’s At The Spine are kicking off a superrad west coast tour December 19th in Portland, and they’ll be hurling jams at you from this year’s Vita full-length (Global Seepej)…if you’re in Oregon, Washington, Cali or Arizona, you’re in luck. Get out to those shows, and chat with genius frontman Mike Toschi about his experiences teaching overseas!
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Wow, Leonard Mynx! Portland’s got it going on like crazy-style these days, and Leonard Mynx is part of why. Dude recently finished recording his amazing debut full-length with Adam Selzer (Norfolk & Western, M. Ward) at Type Foundry in PDX; it draws from the history of American music and American history in general, and waxes poetic on the long tradition of communication through song. Shunning the graveyards, prisons and diseases that plague much of present society, the music of Leonard Mynx is a celebration of life! Stunning, rad. More news regarding the album and dates soon.
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Origami Ghosts’ “Short Momentum” is getting some supercool critical praise (Synthesis calls the record “a contagious collection of well-crafted songs”, and Boise Weekly notes that “singer and founder JP Scesniak’s high, haunting voice stands out against a beautiful backdrop of cello, guitar and sparse drums”), and they’re planning their next US tour as we speak—ye shall have all the news where that’s concerned; just check this site!
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Just when you think you know about everything and everyone out there, you come across something like The Traditionist that reaffirms any doubts yr cynical mind may’ve had about there being new, great musicmakers yet to be discovered. Songcrafter Joey Barro is crazy prolific, and will have several releases throughout ’09 and ’10, the first of which is dropping hotly on Better Looking Records later this winter. Produced by the Mother Hips’ Tim Bluhm, this batch of songs was brought to fruition over the course of a year with Bluhm’s help. Barro is now in the studio recording the album’s follow-up with Bluhm, and Superchunk/Mountain Goats/New Pornographers/Robert Pollard drummer extraordinaire Jon Wurster is slammin’ down the beats.
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
So many exciting things are happening for Portland’s own Loch Lomond, who are hott off a US tour with The Decemberists. The new full-length is now titled Little Me Will Start A Storm, and the band will have release news before too long, along with upcoming touring updates. For now, lucky Portlanders can check the band as they play with Blind Pilot at The Aladdin on December 17th. Not only that, they’ve just recorded a Future Sounds session with WOXY, which you can here >right here!
visit Loch Lomond’s MySpace page!
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Starflyer 59 has just released the gorgeous, somber, huge-sounding Dial M For Martin, and it’s got the critics abuzz. The Blah Blah says the album “fires on all cylinders”, and Copious Notes, err, notes that the band is “creating some of the most well-crafted, imaginative rock” of the past decade, and YouthWorker says that the album “clears the bar with room to spare”.
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
COMEDY ROSTER NEWS:
Eugene Mirman. What can't he do? First of all, he hosts the
amazingly awesome Tearing The Veil Of Maya show every Sunday at Union
Hall (don't miss the upcoming holiday show!!), he has an insanely
funny book 'The Will To Whatevs. A Guide To Modern Life', coming out
in February, will be performing a multitude of shows at Comix in
January, and he has just relaunched his website with a ton of fun,
new, original content, including “The Incidents of Eugene Mirman” blog,
new videos, phone calls, Eugene's advice column, “The All Night Party
Think Tank League”, a place to pre-order the book and more!
http://eugenemirman.com
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
New York based artist/comedian/musician John Roberts has two upcoming
NYC performances that you'll be sorry to miss. The John Roberts
Holiday Show is set for Dec 17 & 18 at Comix, and his performance will
include his original characters, many of whom are featured in his
massively popular short films. If you haven't seen his brand new
Jackie and Debra short, (which just recently went live and has over 23k
views on YouTube alone) you should do it right now!
Jackie + Debra - Stephanie Berger
WATCH HERE!
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
If you aren’t familiar with Jacqueline Novak, it’s high time you get that way! If you’re in NYC, you have an opportunity every Sunday, when Novak co-hosts a comedy night at Piano’s called President Johnson with Greg Johnson; each show starts at 7:30, and past guests have included Todd Barry, John Roberts, Jim Gaffigan, Lynn Shawcroft, Bonnie MacFarlane, Tom McCaffrey, Demetri Martin, Rob Cantrell, Hannibal Buress, Mike Birbiglia and more.
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Another great comedy night, Fatsmiles, is happening again on December 4th at Joe’s Pub in NYC! This installment features Eugene Mirman, Hannibal Burress, Kumail Nanjiani and Robin Ince, and you DO NOT want to miss it.
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Matt McCarthy will be performing brand new, never before seen
original stand up next month at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater
on Dec 18th at 8pm. What can you expect from Matt McCarthy? His
sketches let loose original, unrelenting roller coaster performances
that needs to be seen to believed. His routines are full of manic
absurdity, inimitable deadpan, and scathing satires of convention,
expectations, and the decorative fantasy stores in the mall. And it
all feels like he's performing just for you.
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
Grace Parra has a side-splitting, hard-hitting new video investigating exactly what it takes to be (drumroll)….a soccer mom. Directed by NBC producer Chad Wollett and shot in California, Parra goes straight to the source. Moms are interviewed. Kids are interviewed. More moms and more kids are interviewed. And Grace, champion that she is, UNLOCKS THE SECRET OF THE SOCCER MOM! Watch! Share!
HERE IT IS!
Contact Joan (at) riotactmedia.com.
Kumail Nanjiani spent the first 18 years of his life growing up in
Pakistan, then made the natural transition to Iowa where he attended
Grinnell College. He was so excited to leave Iowa four years later
that he moved to Chicago, where he immediately started performing
comedy--and before long, he found himself hailed as one of Chicago's
rising comic talents. After being spotted performing at Empty
Bottle, Chicago's Lakeshore Theater commissioned Kumail's oustanding
one man comedy performance "Unpronounceable" directed by Paul
Provenza (director of The Aristocrats). After performing
"Unpronounceable" through a successful New York run this spring,
Kumail will bring his critically acclaimed one man show to The
Upright Citizens Brigade Theater for an exclusive Los Angeles
engagement on January 22.
Contact Sheila (at) riotactmedia.com.
There’s more excitement to come…until then, frivolity and eggnogs to you!
Love,
Joan and Sheila
PS: DO NOT FORGET TO CONSIDER THE RELEASES WE WORKED ON FOR YR YEAR-END LISTS!
Adem, "Takes" (Domino)
All Girl Summer Fun Band, "Looking Into It" (AGSFB Music)
Alina Simone, "Everyone Is Crying Out To Me, Beware" (54/40 or Fight!)
At The Spine, "Vita" (Global Seepej)
The Bellrays, "Hot, Sweet & Sticky" (Anodyne)
Bird Names, "Open Relationship" (Unsound)
Brighton, MA, "Amateur Lovers" (Loose Tooth)
The Coast, "Expatriate" (Aporia)
Fences, "Ultimate Puke EP"
Glorytellers, "s/t" (Southern)
The Hard Lessons, "B&G Sides" (Quack)
The Interiors, "s/t" (54/40 or Fight!)
Little Pieces, "s/t" (One Eleven Records)
Love You Moon, "Waxwane" (Sargent House)
Maps and Atlases, "You and Me and the Mountain" (Sargent House)
Miss TK and the Revenge, "No Biterz"
Musee Mechanique, "Hold This Ghost" (Frog Stand)
Neva Dinova, "You May Already Be Dreaming" (Saddle Creek)
Origami Ghosts, "Short Momentum"
Polite Sleeper, "Seens" (Sabotage)
Say Hi, "The Wishes and the Glitch" (Euphobia Records)
The Seabellies, "Prairie"
Starflyer 59, "Dial M for Murder" (Tooth and Nail)
Stepsonday, "s/t" (One Eleven Records)
Women, "s/t" (Jagjaguwar)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
NEW JACKIE AND DEBRA !!
Comedy genius John Roberts is back with a brand new Jackie and Debra video!! You know him from his original characters and videos like "The Christmas Tree","The Phone Call", "Mother's Day" "Make Your Mom Proud" and more, and we're here to tell you that this video does NOT disappoint! John's videos have proven to be youtube sensations, receiving 4millions views and counting. Want to see him in person? Coming up in NYC, John Roberts will perform Dec 17 and 18 at Comix with an original John Roberts Holiday Show!
Friday, October 31, 2008
RIOT ACT MEDIA, NOVEMBER 2008: CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP!
RIOT ACT MEDIA, NOVEMBER 2008: MATT AND KIM, WOMEN, EUGENE MIRMAN, STARFLYER 59, ORIGAMI GHOSTS, LOCH LOMOND, OLIVIA WINGATE ARTISTS, ROCK BIBLE, THE SEABELLIES, FENCES, AND MORE!
Great holy goodness, it’s NOVEMBER! Election month! Thankgsiving month, featuring babies in turkey costumes! Month of flaming fall foliage and mufflers and mittens and shorter days and longer nights. As per usual, there is MUY MUCH GOODNESS going on in the Riot Act family, which I shant preface at length but instead will, in the immortal words of Cherish, “DO IT TO IT.”
Firstly, Matt and Kim have officially announced the release of their amazing new LP, “Grand”!! Recorded over a nine-month period in Matt's childhood bedroom in Vermont, 'Grand' stands to be the duo's most compelling work to date. Matt self-produced the entire record paying attention to every detail with meticulous precision, achieving production that Matt and Kim had never had, yet every track is still very Matt and Kim. 'Grand' will be released Jan 20 2009 in conjunction with FADER label. The lightning in the bottle? Matt and Kim will be bringing their elated live show worldwide as they plan to tour nonstop throughout 2009. Contact Sheila@riotactmedia.com.
Jagjaguwar recording artists Women continue to tour the states in support of their eponymous debut CD, out now. The band killed it at CMJ, and have been killing it (does that meant that the “it” is double-dead?) on the road with King Khan and BBQ Show and Dungen. Women will tour throughout the Midwest and west coast this month, so keep checking the tours page for details on the band about whom Pitchfork says, “Women has the cool, hard weight of something created under duress. You're reminded of how This Heat recorded their songs in a meat factory; Women’s cover-- a creepily synchronized group tai chi exercise-- recalls the sleeves for Reagan-era punk, released at a time when everything seemed vaguely politicized.” Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
Speaking of touring, Loch Lomond, Portland-based new additions to the Riot Act family, are touring the east coast with The Decemberists this month! The chamber pop septet, who just finished recording their stunning new LP at Type Foundry also just unveiled the new Alicia J. Rose-directed video for “Blue Lead Fences”, the debut single of their new album (release date and title TBD.) Creepily compelling and visually arresting, the lo-fi, hi-awesome video casts the band as a wayward cult headed to their certain watery doom. Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
If you live in Baltimore, Philly, Seattle or Portland, you’re in superluck because Henry Owings is coming to your town on his book tour in support of “CHUNKLET Presents: Henry Owings’ Rock Bible”. Get yourself a copy of the hilarious rulebook that's full of dos and don’ts for musicians, wannabe musicians, and rock fans of all ages. It features essays from Patton Oswalt, Brian Teasley, and Andrew Earles--and the Rock Bible is available now via Quirk Books. There’s a tremendous new issue of Chunklet out, too! (www.chunklet.com) Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
No one understands the complexities of modern life better than Eugene Mirman- claims comedian Eugene Mirman-and anyone seeking guidance from a man who has lived through everything (except the Great Depression, the Spanish-American War, and Jerry Lee Lewis's sex scandal) won't resist his charmingly hysterical guidebook, 'THE WILL TO WHATEVS: A Guide to Modern Life', out this February. He has written an absurdly funny book with advice on everything from how to find love, get a job, or make a baby cry (very easy) and much, much, much, much more. For those of you in Chicago, go to Lakeshore Theater on Nov 7 & 8 and become part of history when Eugene performs and records his new comedy album! Contact Sheila@riotactmedia.com.
Congratulations to The Seabellies, who came to the US and conquered CMJ! The Australian six piece played their first US show ever to a packed audience at the Fader Fort last Friday, leaving QRO Magazine no choice but to name The Seabellies "Best New Band"! Everywhere they played, they made immediate fans and lots of them, so good on ya, Seabellies! We shall see you next time. Please come back soon! Contact Sheila@riotactmedia.com.
Reggie Watts and Tom Allen are just two of the many, many talented comedians represented by the amazing Olivia Wingate Artists, both of whom made their mark last week in NYC. Reggie is featured in this month’s “Genius” issue of Esquire, and after one of his amazing CMJ performances, The Tripwire said: “Who is Reggie Watts and why have I never heard of this guy before? His performance was the essence of CMJ, the essence of discovery that the festival used to be known for. He was like Flight of the Concords meets Rahzel. This guy is a serious personality who I can see inhabiting the role of Michael Showalter and/or Rhys Darby sometime soon.” Tom Allen, winner of the BBC New Comedy Awards, was just over from the UK to perform his hilarious "A Voyage Around My Mother" to a full house at NY’s Upright Citizens Brigade. Keep checking riotactmedia.blogspot.com for more news from the world of Matt McCarthy, John Roberts, God's Pottery, Adira Amram and more. Contact Sheila@riotactmedia.com and Joan@riotactmedia.com about Olivia’s roster.
Actually, this falls under the “more” category: for lucky New Yorkers, on November 12th (8PM, Bowery Poetry Club), FATSMILES will incorporate the best in UK and US standup and video comedy with live music for a one-time only event. Each night will be unique event, with a new host and comedy collaborations, along with screening of new videos from acclaimed and emerging artists from around the world. Some past FATSMILES performances include: DAVID CROSS, SARAH SILVERMAN (the Sarah Silverman Program), TODD BARRY, JUDAH FRIEDLANDER (30 Rock), HEATHER LAWLESS (Be Kind Rewind), LEO ALLEN, EUGENE MIRMAN, JOHN MULANEY, LAURA KRAFFT (Colbert Report), CHELSEA PERETTI, REGGIE WATTS, GOD’S POTTERY, JOHN ROBERTS, KURT BRAUNOHLER and ADIRA AMRAM. Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
Starflyer 59 just released the excellent new Dial "M" For Murder" LP, out now on Tooth and Nail. This is a gorgeous, deeply personal album for the band's vocalist, producer and songwriter, Jason Martin. Somber, yet reflective, mournful, yet hopeful, atmospheric and haunting, this is Martin at his sleeve–wearing finest--and the band has also taken a completely different turn in terms of production: instead of any sense of drive to the guitar sounds, SF59 goes the opposite direction, which proves to be a wondrous decision. Mr. M. and company rely heavily on assorted analog keys and synths, with a sprinklings of acoustic guitar (there are even tracks without any guitar at all---very different for SF59). Buzzgrinder says: "We got all tingly when we heard the album's first single, 'Brightest of the Head'." Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
Origami Ghosts are gearing up for the January release of their new full-length, “Short Momentum”! Melodic, catchy, pop and soul hooks, quirky–good reverb–soaked vocal melodies, warm and sailing cello sounds, and thumping drum beats abound on the album, which was produced by Kevin Suggs (Cat Power, Goodness) and mastered by Kramer (Galaxie 500, Low, etc.) . The Paris-by way of Seattle-based band, fronted by pop mastermind Jean Paul Scesniak, will be announcing some dates soon, so stay tuned! Contact Joan@riotactmedia.com.
That’s mostly it for now, friends! Whew--and until next time, adieu.
Madd love.
Joan & Sheila
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
HAPPY RELEASE DAY, BRIGHTON MA !!
Chicago's Brighton MA release their debut full length 'Amateur Lovers' today on WIndy City label Loose Tooth Records! Sprung from the ashes of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, Brighton MA is led by notable frontman and songwriter Matt Kerstein, who Chicago Innerview recently noted "has always been one of the most talented songwriters in Chicago, bar none.” WIth 'Amateur Lovers', BMA take it up a notch with an lp penned by Kerstein and his fellow former SYGC bandmates which tells of struggle and confusion, hope and redemption, shifting mid-album from a lightness to a darkness. An album which MusicFor-Robots recently noted as having “Everything is in its place, but satisfyingly askew.” Brighton MA just played a smashing set at CMJ and look forward to their upcoming November shows in support of 'Amateur Lovers'.
11/4 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar *free
11/5 - St Louis, MO @ Cicero's
11/6 – Indianapolis, IN @ Indy CD and Vinyl –Instore, 5pm
11/6 - Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn
11/7 - Madison, WI @ Café Montmartre
11/9 – Chicago, IL @ Reckless Records, Wicker Park Instore, 4pm
12/13 - Chicago, IL @ Cubby Bear *WXRT Local Anesthetic Event
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