5 Questions with: Protomartyr
Detroit’s Protomartyr have a sense of urgency and anger that could’ve sprouted from somewhere like Manchester or Cleveland in 1979. The band’s new album, Under Color of Official Right, is a real ripper that evokes more than it cribs from the postpunk era.
One of our 50 Artists We’re Excited to See at SXSW, we’re pumped that Protomartyr will be playing the Saturday BrooklynVegan free day party, where they’ll be on right before The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The band’s Joe Casey and Greg Ahee tackled our 5 QUESTIONS:
1) What is your favorite venue to play in the country and why?
Joe: Jumbo’s in Detroit for the ambiance. When we play any place else with dropped particle board ceilings, I get wistful.
Greg: Anywhere with pinball.
more below…
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2) Tell us about the worst show you’ve ever played.
G: We played a show in Lawrence, Kansas where no one showed up and the kid that opened for us just played a game boy on stage, drank his pitchers of beer, and left before we played. That might’ve actually been the best show ever.
J: I liked the one where the amp head fell on Greg’s face.
G: We confuse best and worst all of the time.
3) What are some albums that you guys have been spinning in the van lately?
G: Last tour it was mostly promo CDs we took from the Sub Pop office and shitty radio.
J: That or contemplative silence.
4) What would your metal band name be? (This list of overused terms may help)
J: Well, Protomartyr works just fine as a metal band name.
G: Protometallica or The Wayne County Stank Dragons.
5) Be honest: how often do you change your clothes on tour?
J: As Thoreau said: “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.” Or some shit.
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Protomartyr – 2014 Tour Dates
03.12.14 – Austin, TX – Pitchfork SXSW Party @ French Legation Museum, 1pm ?
03.12.14 – Austin, TX – Sub Pop SXSW Party @ North Door, 2:45pm #
03.13.14 – Austin, TX – Can’t Stop the Bleeding SXSW Party @ Beerland, 3:20pm ! $
03.14.14 – Austin, TX – FREE, all-ages in-store at Waterloo Records, 3pm
03.14.14 – Austin, TX – Hardly Art/Suicide Squeeze Way Unofficial SXSW Party @ The Liberty (outside) ^
03.15.14 – Austin, TX – WFMU SXSW Party @ Beerland, 1pm ~
03.15.14 – Austin, TX – BrooklynVegan SXSW Party @ Red 7, 4:30pm
03.15.14 – Austin, TX – Monofonus SXSW Party @ The Hideout Theatre, 11:30pm
04.08.14 – Detroit, MI – The Lager House ~
04.09.14 – Pittsburgh, PA – Howler’s Coyote Cafe ~
04.11.14 – Cambridge, MA – Democracy Center ~ +
04.12.14 – Brooklyn, NY – Death By Audio ~ +
04.13.14 – New York, NY – Cakeshop ~
04.15.14 – Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie ~
04.16.14 – Baltimore, MD – The Gold Bar ~
04.17.14 – Raleigh, NC – Slim’s Downtown ~ =
04.18.14 – Atlanta, GA – 529 ~ =
04.19.14 – Tallahassee, FL – Liberty Bar =
04.21.14 – New Orleans, LA – Circle Bar =
04.22.14 – Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree =
04.23.14 – Nashville, TN – Stone Fox = >
04.24.14 – Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub =
04.25.14 – Cleveland, OH – Now That’s Class = +
04.26.14 – Columbus, OH – Cafe Bourbon Street
04.29.14 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room *
04.30.14 – Iowa City, IA – Gabe’s *
05.01.14 – St. Paul, MN – Turf Club *
05.02.14 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon *
05.03.14 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall *
06.04.14 – Memphis, TN – The Hi-Tone %
06.07.14 – Detroit, MI – PJ’s Lager House % !
06.08.14 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern % !
06.09.14 – Montreal, QC – Il Motore % !
06.10.14 – Boston, MA – TT the Bears %
06.11.14 – Brooklyn, NY – Sugarhill Supper Club %
% – w/ Parquet Courts
# – w/ Thumpers, Coathangers, R. Ring, more
? – w/ Perfect Pussy, Speedy Ortiz, Ex Hex, more
! – w/ Tyvek
$ – w/ Obnox
^ – w/ The Coathangers, Tacocat, Guantanamo Baywatch, Special Guests
~ – w/ Spray Paint
= – w/ Whatever Brains
> – w/ Cheap Time
* – w/ Cloud Nothings
+ – all-ages show
