Genre Archives: Concerts

Finger Eleven

BAG POLICY

Bags (max size 12″ x 6″ x 12″) are allowed and will be searched upon entry. Exceptions will be made for necessary medical equipment and bags for nursing mothers. We encourage you to pack light with only the necessities to make the entry process as smooth as possible.

CASHLESS POLICY

We are a cashless facility meaning that we are unable to accept cash as a form of payment.

• Our Box Office, Coat Check, and Venue Merch will only accept credit and debit.

• Our Bars will only accept credit, debit, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Please note that artist merchandise sales are separate and may still accept cash.


 ABOUT FINGER ELEVEN

Finger Eleven, the alternative rock band from Ontario, and one of the best-selling Canadian bands of all time, have released a series of consecutive hit albums and become among the greatest live bands to ever emerge from the great White North. The Greyest of Blue Skies, their debut, broke Finger Eleven into the international mainstream, achieving Gold status in the United States and Platinum in Canada, and smashing the first single “One Thing“, across the radio and Billboard charts. Their 2007 album, Them vs. You vs. Me, launched the single “Paralyzer“, setting radio records in the US, peaking at #1 internationally and going 5x Platinum, the band’s second million+ seller. They won the Juno Award for Rock Album the following year and set an incredible run at rock radio, with an unbeaten #14 weeks at the top spot. Life Turns Electric, was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Rock Album of the Year. Five Crooked Lines continued to electrify audiences the world over and their Greatest Hits includes their biggest smash hit in a decade, Together Right, topping charts internationally.

ABOUT EVA UNDER FIRE

If you think rock n’ roll fairy tales are a thing of the past, you haven’t met Eva Under Fire. These Detroit rock upstarts got their start five years ago and instantly began cutting their teeth in the underground rock scene, building an enthusiastic fanbase the old-fashioned way. However, the band’s trajectory shifted toward the stratosphere when they sent an unsolicited demo to Better Noise Music, who recognized the band’s hybrid of rock, metal, pop and classic rock as something wholly unique. Inspired by everyone from the Deftones to Journey, Love, Drugs & Misery combines soaring melodies and relentless riffing with the powerful pipes of vocalist Eva Marie, who passionately spreads the band’s inclusive message of hope during these uncertain times.

That said, it took a lot of hard work for them to get to this point. The group’s roots go back to 2015 when Eva, guitarists Chris Slapnik and Rob Lyberg, bassist Ed Joseph and drummer Corey Newsom, decided to get together and write music that represented their diverse set of influences. The chemistry clicked and after releasing a well received full-length and two EPs, the band signed to Better Noise and spent the past two years working on Love, Drugs & Misery, their most ambitious and fully realized release to date. “We really wanted to challenge ourselves with this record and focus on melodies and writing the best material that we could come up with,” Eva explains. “We really came up with the best of the best when it came to our songwriting. Some songs are fun, others are more emotional.”

For Love, Drugs & Misery, the band once again teamed up with local collaborators BJ Perry (I Prevail, Escape The Fate) and John Pregler, whose collective attention to detail helped the band fine-tune their sound. “BJ and John made sure everything was really focused and the best it could be, especially the melodies,” Eva explains. That laser focus allowed the band to create an album that is as creative as it is authentic. “My biggest influence is probably Deftones because they have such an innovative mix of sounds,” Chris explains, “and Eva’s voice is so powerful that she can sing anything. The album is basically a mix of everything we all listen to from classic rock to modern metal.” Eva, who got her start singing along to show tunes and pop music before discovering acts like Evanescence and Breaking Benjamin, agrees. “It’s really a combination of a lot of different influences from all ends of the musical spectrum.”

From the syncopated, distortion-drenched groove of the opener “Misery” to the palm-muted riffs and massive hooks of “Blow” (feat. Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills) and explosive anthemics of “Unstoppable,” Love, Drugs & Misery has plenty of moments of guitar-driven grandeur. However that aggression is balanced by gripping ballads such as “The Strong” and “Give Me A Reason,” which are as inspiring as they are impactful. Then there’s “Heroin(e),” an electronica-infused, arena-ready rocker that holds special resonance for Eva. “I wrote that song from a personal space and the music was built around the lyrics,” she explains about the song, which deals with the experience of drug addiction within her family. “I was so grateful that the story could remain intact because it was so powerful, but it was so close to me that I wasn’t sure if it should go on the record or not.” Once the label heard the song they not only embraced it but included it in the upcoming Better Noise film, Sno Babies.

That balance of style and substance lies at the core of Eva Under Fire. For that reason they weren’t scared to try new things on Love, Drugs & Misery, whether that was using Talk Box guitar effects, integrating shredding guitar solos or putting their stamp on the 1987 U2 hit, “With or Without You.” Simply put, this collection of songs couldn’t have come from anyone else. “There’s a lot of grit in the vocals on this album and that’s because the aggression, anger and sadness are real,” Eva explains. “In the studio I was able to tap into those real emotions on demand because I knew that this was important. This is our platform where you need to show how real and true it is—whether you’re having a blast in the moment or you’re on the verge of tears, that’s what you want to convey. I think our producers did a great job of making us feel at home.”

“I’m really happy because this album isn’t twelve songs of the exact same style, there’s a variety where you can hear the different influences and that’s important to me,” Chris summarizes. “We wave a flag of humanity and I think this record is encouraging in the sense that whoever listens to this record will find something that will speak to them in its own way,” Eva adds. “We worked so hard to get to where we are today, but we made it. I think this album will really bring a lot of people together and that’s so needed now,” she adds. “I can’t wait to see what that will translate to when we’re finally about to get out there and tour again.”

ABOUT MOON FEVER

As if channeling a primal urge to let loose under cover of darkness, Moon Fever churns out slick, swaggering, and soulful rock ‘n’ roll anthems amplified by raw attitude and stark emotion. The Seattle quartet—Triston Bracht [vocals], Mitch Micoley [guitar], Dave Orton [bass], and Troy Wageman [drums]—captivate with a one-two punch of raucous instrumentation and intoxicating melodies. After racking up millions of streams independently and earning acclaim from the likes of Alternative Press, Substream Magazine and many more, the group continues to sharpen their signature style and plan to release a complete collection of songs later this year.

“We’re not trying to sell people anything,” Triston says. “I’ve got pain, blood, and shit I want to get out of the water. We do music because it fills a hole in our souls.  When you see us on stage, it’s clear we’re best friends. There’s nothing choreographed. When you listen to us, I hope you believe in what we’re doing too—because we do.”

“Everything we do starts with being real,” Mitch agrees.

At 17-years-old, Mitch traded his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin for Los Angeles, CA. However, Seattle called to him in 2020. He settled in the Emerald City and linked up with Troy and Dave. Nodding to influences such as Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, The Doors, and Alice In Chains, the group had initially gained traction with the Payphone Blues EP highlighted by “Cocaine,” which generated millions of combined streams and counting.  Upon meeting Triston in 2022, the lineup cemented.

He was the guy,” Mitch goes on. We started writing together, recording, and making songs.”

Building a reputation as a proven live presence, the musicians lit up stages alongside the likes of Adelita’s Way, Godsmack, Otherwise and Buckcherry. Following the raucous “Live Fast Die Young,” Moon Fever bulldozed their way further into the public with the releases of “I’m Gone” and “Nothing Left To Lose.” The 2023 single “Getting Loud” rides a hummable riff towards an unshakable and undeniable hook as Triston wails, “It’s getting loud. I hear a voice in my head, before a scorching guitar lead on the bridge. It lives up to Mitch’s promise of “Big high energy rock.

“Lyrically, it’s about being anxiety-ridden,” reveals Triston. “I think a lot of us hear those voices in our head. You’ve got to get the demons out, baby.”

Then, there’s “Forever Sleep.” The band conjure up a hypnotic chorus that gives way to a scorching solo. Accompanied by a video directed by Jim Louvau [Jerry Cantrell, Greg Puciato], it cuts deep.

“It’s very Seattle and probably the best thing we’ve written thus far,” notes Mitch. “We based the idea around the horribleness of existence. It’s pretty emotional and honest.”

In the end, Moon Fever provide the best kind of escape.

“A lot of people work nine-to-five jobs and just go through the motions in life,” Mitch leaves off. “They need a break to feel free, be themselves, and have a great time. We want to give them a chance to escape reality and experience a kickass rock show.”

“If I didn’t have music, I don’t know what I’d be doing,” Triston concludes. “I hope what we’re doing in Moon Fever makes an impact on you.”

 

Lettuce

BAG POLICY

Bags (max size 12″ x 6″ x 12″) are allowed and will be searched upon entry. Exceptions will be made for necessary medical equipment and bags for nursing mothers. We encourage you to pack light with only the necessities to make the entry process as smooth as possible.

CASHLESS POLICY

We are a cashless facility meaning that we are unable to accept cash as a form of payment.

• Our Box Office, Coat Check, and Venue Merch will only accept credit and debit.

• Our Bars will only accept credit, debit, Apple Pay, and Google Pay.

Please note that artist merchandise sales are separate and may still accept cash.


ABOUT LETTUCE

Here it is, right on time.  Unify.  The eighth studio album from Lettuce, it’s also a third consecutive record made at Denver’s Colorado Sound Studios, completing a loose trilogy starting with 2019’s Grammy-nominated Elevate, and continuing with 2020’s Resonate.  “Dealing with the pandemic, being in separate places, trying to survive without our best friends, without touring, not to mention the political divide in this country,” says Lettuce drummer Adam Deitch.  “We really needed to unify.”

Reunited with Colorado Sound’s esteemed engineer, Jesse O’Brien, Unify is a totally collaborative effort full of the highest of highlights, including its centerpiece track “Keep That Funk Alive,” inspired by the venerable Parliament-Funkadelic bassist, Bootsy Collins, and featuring Collins on bass and vocals.  It’s, as well, a benchmark moment for the sextet- Adam Deitch (drums), Ryan Zoidis (saxophone), Adam Smirnoff (guitar), Erick Coomes (bass), Nigel Hall (keyboards/vocals), Eric ‘Benny’ Bloom (trumpet)- approaching thirty years since its humble Boston beginnings.

“We’re just getting tighter and tighter,” says Coomes.  “Really, these are the first records made with the six of us as a team, and it’s the best the band has ever been: live and in the studio; the funkiest and the most fun.”

16 songs.  Pure Lettuce.  Unify will teleport you to a funky galaxy far, far away, where all life coexists as one in peace, love, harmony, and music!

 

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Dizney Dance Party

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


Everybody in the club singing Dizney….

DJ Femme Noir and Sarah Akawa are hitting the decks with alllll your favorite D. Channel favorites including: Jonas Brothers, High School Musical, Cheetah Girls, Camp Rock, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Hillary Duff and more. Plus sing-a-longs from some of their classic film collections. We know y’all are a Dizney adult at heart <3 so be our guest at Majestic on September 23!

The Wrecks

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


ABOUT THE WRECKS

Nick Anderson (Vocals)

Aaron Kelly (Bass)

Billy Nally (Drums)

Nick “Schmizz” Schmidt (Guitar)

Hailing from rural Wellsville, New York – almost exactly two hours south of nowhere, it’s not too surprising that there wasn’t much of a music scene. So, in the absence of one, Nick Anderson built one from scratch. In search of like-minded souls who loved the punk and alternative sounds he preferred, Nick turned to the internet. He recruited Aaron Kelley, Billy Nally, and Nick “Schmizz” Schmidt, to road test a new band: The Wrecks. The band’s top five tracks on Spotify have been listened to more than 80 million times, & their first single was a Top 40 Alternative Radio hit. Their most recent single, the post-breakup anthem “I Love This Part” finds the Wrecks’ music evolving as they approach the completion of their second album. Now as they progress towards an even larger reach that far extends above the foundation that they have already built, The Wrecks are poised for a wide-open road ahead of them.

Lissie – Carving Canyons Tour

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


ABOUT LISSIE

Lissie’s Carving Canyons finds the acclaimed singer-songwriter digging deep to carry on through life’s many uncertainties. The singer-songwriter’s fifth album is her most personal expression yet, with twelve songs that chart the ripples caused by heartbreak and loneliness as well as what happens when the soul perseveres amidst pain. Carving Canyons is as deeply felt as Lissie’s music has ever been, with sumptuous production and indelible melodies that will surely stand the test of time.

Carving Canyons came about at Lissie’s own pace, following tour outings behind 2018’s Castles and the piano-based retrospective When I’m Alone from 2019. “It wasn’t a time where I felt like I had a lot to say,” she recalls, “and each record typically comes from a shift in my life where I need to share things.” As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, Lissie was also dealing with an impactful breakup on her Iowa farm. “It was such a heavy time—not just for me but for the world, of course—and I needed love, support, and connection,” she says. “Because there was so much isolation, it was an important period of time for me to explore some of my dark places and process it all.”

As Lissie took in the nature and observed the seasons changing around her and within her, the songs that would make up Carving Canyons started to flow from her. “Sometimes, as seeds begin to sprout, you have to thin them out so that the ones you keep have enough space to grow and thrive,” she sagely states while reflecting on this time. “It’s a metaphor for making space for what matters, a brutal, beautiful cycle that can also be very healing, and it all comes from surrender. Furthermore, with the right amount of time, so much can grow and change so quickly.  The garden was a helpful reminder to have hope for the future.”

Throughout the early days of the pandemic and her breakup, Lissie was home more than if she’d been on tour. “I was able to deepen my friendships with women in my community,” she remembers, “and during the summer of 2020, I found myself with this incredible intergenerational female friend group. I think I pulled a lot of strength not only from their friendship but from observing the seasons and stages of their lives—where they’d been, what they’d overcome and where they were going. We lifted each other up.”

Lissie traveled to Nashville and co-wrote much of Carving Canyons with a majority of female-identifying songwriters—including Bre Kennedy, Madi Diaz, Morgan Nagler, Natalie Hemby, Kate York, and Sarah Buxton—who also contribute additional vocals throughout the album.  “It felt like we could pool our collective experience into sisterhood, self expression & support.” she says. “There was definitely a theme of relying on my network of women and gathering strength from knowing that they, too, had been through the ringer in some way, shape or form—and had come out the other side! And whether it be in a song or in the garden, we took our pain and turned it into purpose and beauty.”

Near the end of 2020, Lissie started studio work on Carving Canyons with producer and frequent collaborator Curt Schneider, kicking off a year-long recording process. “Curt was open to me writing and recording these batches of songs over the year as I was shifting perspectives,” Lissie says. “The record ended up following the process of grief, as well as addressing how things are always eventually going to change.”

Her independence within the context of the music industry—which she’s maintained since releasing 2016’s My Wild West on her Lionboy label—also enabled her to write straight from the heart, without feeling rushed by deadlines: “I really only write when I’m bursting at the seams, and it’s such a therapeutic thing to do. These songs become the listeners’ songs too, and hopefully it helps them deal with their emotions as well. It’s all universal.”

First single “Flowers” sounds expansive and wide-open, as Lissie sings about the process of grief and what it takes to push ahead. “The prettiest blooms literally come from shit, it’s a fertilizer,” she says while talking about the song’s lyrical themes. “I wanted to claim my right to feel my feelings. As I grieved—not only for a relationship, but for the world in the midst of a pandemic—I felt like my anger made people uncomfortable, but I came out the other side empowered and ready to step back into my light. I can grow my own flowers and make my own joy.”

The Diaz co-write “Sad” came about after Lissie was drawing from anger surrounding her relationship’s dissolution, and finding out that her songwriting partner had similar feelings she was able to tap into. “There’s hints of compassion, too,” she explains. “We wanted to draw that feeling of a person hurting you and never having to answer for doing that. You feel like you want to punish them.” Meanwhile, the glowing benevolence of “Chasing the Sun” was inspired by the early sunsets of Iowa winter: “I was driving and I felt like I was almost keeping pace with the sun. It’s about keeping your eyes on the horizon and having that hope for the future—looking for a bright spot to keep you going.”

“Night Moves” conjures the lush, nocturnal pop of Fleetwood Mac as well as Jenny Lewis’ recent work, while the gently stomping “Unlock the Chains” zooms in on, in Lissie’s words, “Having to understand what I want out of life, as well as who I want to be.” Carving Canyons’ winding, expansive title track explores the ways in which our own emotional experiences are forming new topographical textures to explore and reflect on: “There is beauty in pain,” Lissie says while talking about the song’s thematic focus. “It’s a part of life and our life story. What we go through creates the landscape of which to view a lifetime. If I’d never broken myself open, there’d be nothing to see.”

Then there’s “Lonesome Wine,” which finds Lissie examining her own relationship with alcohol in one of the most plaintively beautiful melodies she’s sung in her career to date. “For a lot of years I coped with things that didn’t feel good by opening up a bottle of wine,” she ruminates while discussing the song’s thematic bent. “But I realized that what I’m looking for isn’t in this bottle.”

Overall, Carving Canyons is about looking within while dealing with the uncertainty of the future—finding hope in personal and worldly adversity, no matter what the forecast might say.  “Some days it was so terrifying that I didn’t know how to carry on—and then I realized, ‘How exciting. What a gift,’” Lissie recalls while discussing her frame of mind while making the record. “The road in front of me is wide open.” Accordingly, Carving Canyons is another step in an impressive career that opens up endless possibilities for what’s to come.

Chris Gethard: A Father and the Sun

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request. Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


ABOUT CHRIS GETHARD

“One of our great cultural commentators on comedy/tragedy juxtapositions.” – NPR

New Jersey based Chris Gethard is a stand-up comedian, author and the host of the popular podcast, Beautiful/Anonymous.   He is known for his 2018 HBO special, CAREER SUICIDE produced Judd Apatow, and TruTV’s THE CHRIS GETHARD SHOW, which was an interactive, off-the-rails talk show that stretched the limits of what is possible on late-night television.   Just a few years ago, Chris drew acclaim in his starring role opposite Mike Birbiglia, in the indie hit, DON’T THINK TWICE. Chris currently recurs on SPACEFORCE for Netflix and has been recognized for his appearances on THE OFFICE, PARKS & REC, and NPR’s THIS AMERICAN LIFE.

Beautiful Anonymous Podcast

Chris tweets out a phone number. Thousands of people try to call. He talks to one of them for an hour. They never tell him their name. He is not allowed to hang up. That’s it. It’s a simple idea, but it’s turned into a thing that a whole lot of people love. Sometimes it’s funny. Often it’s dark. It’s a joy every time and a constant reminder that every single person has a story, and that we don’t often enough slow down to hear them.

Asher Roth

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request. Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


ABOUT ASHER ROTH

Nearly 15 years ago, Asher demonstrated his skill for rapping. The Morrisville, Pennsylvania native blended advanced flows with far-reaching references that spanned a love of pop culture, sports, and comedy. After posting songs online while studying at West Chester University, Asher relocated to Atlanta. There, he partnered with DJ Drama and Don Cannon for 2008’s The Greenhouse Effect. The self-released mixtape propelled Asher to recognition in the Hip-Hop community as a skillful MC with a unique style. “It meant so much to so many people and for me too, as far as this carefreeness,” he says. Roth signed to a major, released a double-platinum single, and a gold debut, 2009’s Asleep In The Bread Aisle. While “I Love College” remains a hallmark of the times, the song became a caricature for an artist pursuing an evergreen career. “When you’re first coming in, you just want everybody to like you. The harsh reality is that’s not gonna happen,” Asher says of some industry pushback and creative tug of war. “I realized it was never gonna be about my music.”

Despite that realization, throughout the last decade, Asher Roth made his music speak the loudest. 2010’s Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry mixtape made this priority clear, thumbing a nose at knee-jerk perceptions. While cultivating a core fanbase, projects with Travis Barker, Nottz, Blended Babies, and 2014’s Greenhouse Effect sequel earned acclaim. That stride carried into solo albums, Retrohash and Flowers On The Weekend. Friends like Buddy, Lil Yachty, Joyce Wrice, and others joined the party. Asher considers the 2020 DIY LP produced by Rob Devious “a benchmark for me as far as the maturation process and affirmation that I’m going the right way. I was aiming to write genuine songs.” That album arrived during a season when Asher returned to Philly after stints in LA and New York. As chronicled on “Mommydog,” the son, brother, and uncle was now comfortably near to his family and closest friends.

Since laying down roots, Asher helped create and enrich a sustainable gathering space and venue, Sunflower Philly. That desire to plant seeds is also reflected in the art. In January 2021, Asher tweeted an invitation to participate in Greenhouse Effect 3. When much of the world was isolated, Roth connected creators. Over 20 weeks on Twitch and Discord, Asher mentored and developed artists. Twelve producers span 15 tracks, with MCs from St. Louis, Boston, Buffalo, and the Bronx (care of fellow 2009 XXL Freshman alum Mickey Factz). The project gave birth to 2022’s offering “Why’s It So Grey Out?” produced by Salt Lake City’s Heather Grey, whom Asher connected with through his Discord and Greenhouse Effect Vol. 3 project. Asher continues to host artist development and collaboration projects with the latest installment dubbed “Summer School”. Visit sunflowerphilly.org and join the Discord at discord.gg/retrohash to learn more about what Asher’s been up to.

glaive

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change. 


ABOUT GLAIVE

glaive is a vocalist, songwriter and producer from the mountains of North Carolina who began making music at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, releasing his first song on Soundcloud in April 2020. His rise since has been meteoric, supported by a steady stream of new music that has quickly earned him acclaim and a devoted following. He shared his debut EP cypress grove in 2020, with The FADER and The New York Times naming the single “astrid” one of the best songs of the year. 2021 saw him play his first ever live shows, and his project all dogs go to heaven earned him spots on year-end Best Of lists from the The New York Times (critic Jon Caramanica’s favorite song of the year), Los Angeles Times, The FADER and more.

Jen Fulwiler

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change. 


ABOUT JEN FULWILER

Jen Fulwiler is a standup comic, bestselling author, and mom of six. She was the host of the daily talk radio show The Jen Fulwiler Show on the national SiriusXM network, and when she launched her own podcast, This Is Jen, it debuted in the iTunes Comedy Top 10. She has been featured on the Today Show and CNN, and her viral social media sketches have racked up millions of views. Her standup comedy special, The Naughty Corner, is out now on Amazon.

Animal Collective

The Animal Collective show previously scheduled for June 4 has a new date of July 24. All tickets previously purchased will remain valid for the new date. For any further ticket inquiries please reach out to point of purchase.

Based on the latest local guidelines, attendees are no longer required to provide proof of negative COVID-19 test AND/OR vaccination for entry into this event. Other shows on our calendar may still have specific health and safety requirements based on artist request.  Be sure to check our venue website for the latest updates and guidelines as entry requirements are subject to change.


ABOUT ANIMAL COLLECTIVE

At the beginning there were two of them — Avey Tare and Panda Bear — banging drums and tweaking synths in their bedrooms, singing strange and sometimes heartbreaking songs about imaginary friends and childhood pets. Carried along by washes of squalling feedback, the music was noisy, and it was weird, but it was, at heart, pop music. This was the start of Animal Collective. For fifteen years Dave Porter (Tare), Noah Lennox (Bear), Brian “Geologist” Weitz and Josh “Deakin” Dibb have been rewriting the musical map, their line-up and aesthetic shifting with each astonishing release as they continue their pursuit of a new psychedelia. Their wild path has taken them from cramped concrete basement shows and forest floor singalongs to immersive installations at the Guggenheim and performances to millions on national television. So where now from here?”Caveman circles,” says Lennox, discussing the vision for their eleventh full-length album, Painting With; “Caveman circles, the first Ramones record, early Beatles and electronically produced. I think that was kind of our starting point.” Dizzyingly upbeat and gloriously realised, their latest LP bounces and pops with an urgent, ecstatic energy, propelled by polyrhythmic beats and gurgling modular synth, with Lennox and Portner’s vocals gleefully falling in and out of syncopation and off-kilter harmony. The songs are as experimental and deeply textured as anything that has come before but sound as sharp and snappy as chart hits, finding the band at both their most minimal and most ambitious: “The idea with cavemen was about being more primitive — the way we sounded when we were first playing together in New York” says Portner. “I feel like what we were doing with the last record [2012’s Centipede Hz] was something a little more complicated. This time we wanted to strip it down and simplify it, like techno and punk… And then put the Animal Collective filter on it all.”Working as a trio, Portner, Lennox and Weitz began trading demos in early 2015, pursuing a goal of what Portner calls “really short pop songs: no B.S, get in, get out material…” The three met up in Ashville during that Spring and began exploring the songs together. “I feel like lyrically there’s some really tough stuff” says Lennox, “but the intention was for the songs to have the spirit of trying to work things out. To make things better.” The group made a conscious decision not to tour the songs first in an attempt to keep them fresh, something Weitz found to be “a freeing process. That shift in perspective contributed to how much space is on the record.”Recording took place in the legendary EastWest Studios in Hollywood, home to sessions by The Beach Boys and Marvin Gaye. Making the space feel like home was essential: they lit candles on lily pads and projected a two-hour reel of dinosaur movies — spliced together by Dave’s sister Abby — on a constant loop. A baby pool was set up to help add to the vibe of the room, but the group soon discovered it sounded amazing when thudded and treated with effects. “Everything sounded good in that room” says Weitz.You can hear it. Everything about Painting With feels crisp and direct as though delivered in super high-definition Technicolor; the pitter-pattering handclaps of Lying In The Grass, the delirious arcade-hall rave of Burglars, the galloping bass and piano of the radiant On Delay — even Bea Arthur’s introduction to Golden Gal seems to shimmer. The interplay between Avey Tare and Panda Bear’s vocals (recorded while sat on high pedestals to lend the singing an “airy” quality) is brought front and centre with an uncharacteristic clarity: “With the vocals, it’s not like a typical call and response or harmony.” says Lennox, “It’s like two voices become one. Without one singer it doesn’t really work the same way. They dance with each other.” Portner interrupts: “Both vocals are meant to complete one thought.” The band put much of this down to their close collaboration with engineer Sonny Diperri: “He played a big part in how the vocals sounded. We didn’t put a lot of effects on the voices like in the past… We tried to be really careful about reverb, to not make everything washed out. When there is echo on the album almost everything is acoustic reverb. It attests to the greatness of those old studios — it’s cool you can record in your apartment, plenty of great music has been recorded that way, but there is something to say about the time that went into crafting these rooms. It feels like a lost art form.”In their search for more organic sounds, the trio challenged themselves to incorporate elements they usually find off-putting, either structurally or sonically “I remember specifically we brought up saxophone and brass instruments” recalls Portner. They enlisted the services of multireedist Colin Stetson — whose resumé includes collaborations with Arcade Fire, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Bon Iver and Tom Waits — to appear on the album’s rapturous, swirling opener, FloriDaDa, an ode to breaking boundaries and not seeing any separation in people or places: “We were huge fans of Colin’s and the sound that he has is super unique. We don’t notate a score for somebody, so it was cool to have him come in and lay down a bunch of ideas while the song was playing.” After discovering John Cale was a fan of their music, the group invited him down to the studio to record drones for Hocus Pocus — a slow-burning collage of stroboscopic vocals and bleeping, squelching modular synth that gives way to delirious release. Discovering the song wasn’t in a key the viola could be tuned for came as “a happy surprise” as they found themselves working with Cale’s material in new and exciting ways, his bowed tones and electronic manipulations forming a hypnotic transition into the beautifully sun-warped Vertical.

It’s just that that kind openness to playing with expectation and experimenting with form that lies at the heart of this personal and human album. “When we were doing (2007’s) Strawberry Jam, I thought it would be cool to literally rename ourselves The Painters.” recalls Portner, “Everyone kind of rolled their eyes at that one. But Noah brought the idea back [this time]. We talked about painting — cubism, Dada, these distorted ways of looking at things…” It’s all there in Painting With: the sound of artists finding vivid new ways to shape their ideas and challenge their own conventions, creating music that is at once startlingly fresh and still recognisably, uniquely Animal Collective.

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