Four Score and Seven

Site & Sound: Titus Andronicus from VanLou Media on Vimeo.

[mp3] Titus Andronicus: "A More Perfect Union"

The good folks at Site and Sound / Vanlou Media have scored another gem, this time with New Jersey natives and long-time Stark favorites Titus Andronicus. I still hold onto my contention that watching dude hack off his beard with dull desk scissors during one of the last real McCarren Park shows was one of the more badass rock and roll moves I've seen in a long time. Titus' The Monitor (XL) is a front-runner for many a year end list. Including ours. Shit, it's about the Civil War after all. Site and Sound caught up with the band during a homecoming at Maxwells after a grueling stretch on the road. Speaking of grueling road stretches, Titus are embarking upon an equally epic road stretch this weekend at Northside running through September. Check out the just announced dates after the jump.

Titus Andronicus:

06-26 Brooklyn, NY - Barge Park (Northside Festival) *
07-01-04 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-10 New Haven, CT - Lily's Pad #
07-11 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street #
07-12 Albany, NY - Valentines #
07-13 Buffalo, NY - Ninth Ward #
07-14 Toronto, Ontario - Horseshoe Tavern #
07-15 Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection Lounge #
07-16 Chicago, IL - Subterranean (Pitchfork Music Festival Afterparty)
07-17 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
08-21 Boston, MA - Royale %
08-22 Montreal, Quebec - Il Motore %
08-23 Ottowa, Ontario - Mavericks %
08-25 Ithaca, NY - Castaways %
08-26 Columbus, OH - Summit
08-27 Toledo, OH - Mickey Finn's
08-28 St. Louis, MO - LouFest
08-29 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
08-30 Little Rock, AR - Rev Room
08-31 Dallas, TX - Sons of Hermann Hall
09-10 Vancouver, British Columbia - Biltmore Cabaret %
09-11 Portland, OR - Backspace / MusicFest NW
09-12 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
09-13 Boise, ID - Neurolux %
09-14 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
09-15 Denver, CO - Bluebird
09-16 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room %
09-17 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
09-19 Newport, KY - Southgate House %
09-20 Atlanta, GA - The Earl %
09-21 Durham, NC - Duke Coffeehouse %
09-22 Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theatre %
09-23 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church %
09-24 Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel %

* with Cults, Male Bonding
# with Hallelujah the Hills
% with Free Energy

The Airing of Grievances Gets the Re-Release Treatment on XL in January

“Patrick Stickles howls with anguish way beyond his 22 years, often cramming lyrics into tight spaces just to make sure he gets the last word in…the drama’s more Boss than Bright Eyes, fueled by blue collar frustration and, most notably, beer.”-PITCHFORK

Following similar moves by Bon Iver and Deer Tick, Titus Andronicus will re-release their spastic, yet highly thrilling self-titled debut in 2009 under the banner of a prominent new label, in this case XL Recordings. While we haven't checked out the remastered version yet, their previous effort is sure to appear in our top 20 records of '08. The Airing of Grievances hits shelves (again) January 20. Titus is touring with Los Campesinos! - dates after the jump...

Elsewhere in the blog world today... M.Ward is releasing a new record Feb 17 on Merge featuring guest spots from his leading lass Zooey Deschanel and Lucy Williams. M Ward will play the Apollo Theatre in NYC on February 19th. Tickets for that show, and all shows, go on presale Tuesday at 10 AM (password = holdtime) Via BV.


Titus Andronicus Tour Dates with Los Campesinos!

Jan 15 Ottobar w/Los Campesinos! Baltimore, Maryland
Jan 16 Cat’s Cradle w/Los Campesinos! Carrboro, North Carolina
Jan 17 The Earl w/Los Campesinos! Atlanta, Georgia
Jan 19 Jack Rabbits w/Los Campesinos! Jacksonville, Florida
Jan 21 Club Downunder w/Los Campesinos! Tallahassee, Florida
Jan 24 Exit-In w/Los Campesinos! Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 25 Hi Tone w/Los Campesinos! Memphis, Tennessee
Jan 27 One Eyed Jack’s w/Los Campesinos! New Orleans, Louisiana
Jan 29 Walter’s on Washington w/Los Campesinos! Houston, Texas
Jan 30 The Parish w/Los Campesinos! Austin, Texas
Jan 31 Club Dada w/Los Campesinos! Dallas, Texas
Feb 3 The Bottleneck w/Los Campesinos! Lawrence, Kansas
Feb 3 The Bottleneck w/Los Campesinos! Lawrence, Kansas
Feb 4 The Gargoyle w/Los Campesinos! St. Louis, Missouri
Feb 6 Der Rathskeller w/Los Campesinos! Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 7 Logan Square Auditorium w/Los Campesinos! Chicago, Illinois
Feb 10 Calvin College Ladies Literary Club w/Los Campesinos! Grand Rapids, Michigan
Feb 11 Wexner Center for the Arts w/Los Campesinos! Columbus, Ohio
Feb 12 Swarthmore College Olde Club w/Los Campesinos! Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
Feb 13 Paradise Rock Club w/Los Campesinos! Boston, Massachusetts
Feb 14 Bowery Ballroom w/Los Campesinos! New York, New York
Feb 15 Bowery Ballroom w/Los Campesinos! New York, New York

Titus Andronicus, Ponytail, Abe Vigoda, War on Drugs @ The Mercury Lounge

...Bruce Springsteen comparisons came easy as Titus opened their set with several verses from "Thunder Road." As Springsteen freewheels around the stage and often strays from the vocal melodies, as did lead singer Patrick Stickles. Twisting and writhing, Stickles delivered lyrics in incomprehensible screams and moans. Just as the E-Street band does for the Boss, the rest of Titus Andronicus held tight to the form of every song. They played with a passion and maturity that allowed Stickles to go ape-shit on stage all the while delivering a tight well focused set...
Full review and photos after the jump...

Although surprisingly undersold, the show Sunday night at the Mercury Lounge featured three of the summer's most buzzed about bands. Abe Vigoda and Ponytail delivered energetic sets of noise-filled, punk-rock music, while Titus Andronicus closed the evening by clearly demonstrating how a fully formed band should look and sound. While delivering a great album earlier this summer, the War on Drugs' set failed to capture the record's urgency and passion as most songs dragged along in a sea of messy electronics and languid tempos.

Publications from Pitchfork to Fader have weighed in, favoring Abe Vigoda and Ponytail. Although Abe Vigoda did well to capture the sounds and aesthetics of noise rock legends such as The Jesus and Mary Chain, (one even sported an old JAMC tee shirt,) they failed to deliver the vocal power and melodies of their predecessors. Ponytail channeled a more progressive sound, at times reminiscent of Battles, only delivering their songs in accessible three to four minute pop nuggets. Driven by their spectacular drummer Jeremy Hyman, Ponytail managed an uplifting, positive, and infectious set; yet, the role of "lead singer" Molly Siegel seemed ill-defined, and at least live, she seemed more like an energetic place holder.

Like a breath of fresh air after what was becoming a long evening, Titus Andronicus set up, line checked and were ready to go a half-hour early. It's hard to describe maturity exactly, but Titus looked the part of a real band before even playing a single note. Complete with a self-produced light show, every band member seemed ready to go and conducted themselves with an adult demeanor that belied their real age and level of experience. While Vigoda and Ponytail captured a youthful exuberance, Titus Andronicus' set clearly demonstrated that those bands have some growing up to do before they are counted in the same league as some of their indie rock peers.

Bruce Springsteen comparisons came easy as Titus opened their set with several verses from "Thunder Road." As Springsteen freewheels around the stage and often strays from the vocal melodies, as did lead singer Patrick Stickles. Just as the E-Street band does for the Boss, the rest of Titus Andronicus held tight to the form of every song. They played with a passion and maturity that allowed Stickles to go ape-shit on stage all the while delivering a tight well focused set. Playing the best from their excellent record The Airing of Grievences, Titus Andronicus made their openers look like boys and girls amongst men and women. Titus made the Mercury Lounge their own and showed why they will remain standing long after the summer's hype has faded.
Lovely photos by Karp.