We are happy to announce some details on our latest recording. The new album is called CRUSHES (THE COVERS MIXTAPE) and will be released this summer. This is our first full length recorded and produced by ourselves, and our longtime collaborator Peter Katis (The National, Swell Season,Interpol, etc.) mixed the record. We've been talking about doing a covers record for a long time. We'd hear a great song at 2 AM while driving the straight line from one part of Texas to the next, and all we'd want to do is play that song as if we had written it. There are so many artists we considered, some for the mere fact that they wrote a perfect song, some for nostalgia's sake, some because more people need to hear them, some for the challenge, and some to shed a whole different light on a song: Our light... make it a duet, more optimistic or maybe less traditional. [Mates of State]

That's the album's cover above. The full tracklist, which includes Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Vashti Bunyan, Daniel Johnston and others, is below. The first song, a cover of Girls' "Laura" that's rife with turntable scratches, is streaming and downloadable on their site.

Mates of State go on tour across the US this June and July. During that, they'll play Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 15th and Bowery Ballroom on July 16th. Tickets go on sale Wednesday (4/21) at noon.

Joining the pair on those NYC shows will be Nick Thune. Other shows are opened by Free Energy (who play Bowery Ballroom on May 29th and South Street Seaport on July 23rd), Todd Barry, and Suckers (who have lots of other shows coming up too).

Mates of State tour dates, flyer and tracklist are below...

Continue reading "Mates of State releasing covers, touring (dates) "

Happy Holidays! I take on more than I can handle. That results in a lot of unposted content. In the name of catching up, while also taking it easy during this final week of the year, here's some of that lost material.

Check out that picture of Todd Barry standing in the rain with Nick Thune on rainy Day Two of Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin this year (he performed at the fest on the same day). If you're in San Francisco, check out Todd Barry "with Greg Behrendt, Doug Benson, Maria Bamford, John Mulaney,Amy Schumer,Chris Porter, and music from the Reigning Monarchs" on New Years Eve, and then, exactly one month later (also in San Fran), with "Jon Benjamin and John Hodgman, Larry Murphy and musical guests Mates of State" at SF Sketchfest. Todd Barry reads the news in the video below...

Continue reading "a picture of Todd Barry (who is performing in San Francisco on New Years Eve) standing in the rain "

August 25th, 2009 (Austin, TX) - Transmission Entertainment is pleased to announce the lineup for the 2009 Fun Fun Fun Fest, taking place on November 7th and 8th at Waterloo Park in Austin. Fun Fun Fun Fest made its first appearance on a cold Friday evening in 2006, offering a unique approach to festival booking, filling stages with talent bubbling from the underground: what sounded great, and what was making an impact, regardless of what mainstream media said was cool. What started out as a show for a few touring acts and local favorites has become a movement -- a festival that fans and bands alike realize needs to be experienced year after year.

Now in its fourth year, Fun Fun Fun Fest has made a significant impact on the country's winter calendar, successfully combining the vast worlds of indie, punk, rap, electronica and comedy while showcasing some of the city's most unique local businesses.

Greatest. Festival. Ever...

Continue reading "Fun Fun Fun Fest 2009 lineup (Jesus Lizard, Of Montreal, Gorilla Biscuits, LSF, 7 Seconds, D.R.I. & DANZIG!! & more)"