This is a short good news/bad news update so you may want to take a seat. First, the good news:
The brilliant new album ‘Our Temperance Movement (matcd052) from top Finnish pop band Cats on Fire is now out and the band plays the New York City popfest this Friday to celebrate! We can now certify the album sounds equally good cruising the Pacific Coast Highway as it does poking around town so give it a try next time you’re off for a drive. Please see complete release details and order information below. For show details, please visit the Cats on Fire website.
Our favorite Danish band Northern Portrait are heading to the UK this week for a series of shows before landing on California soil in time for the San Francisco popfest on May 23rd and other shows in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oxnard and Santa Barbara later this month. Complete tour details are summarized below. We hope to see some of you there!
Northern Portrait and The Electric Pop Group are still working to finalize their new albums so both remain in the coming soon section of the catalog. We will post exclusive previews from each album in the next seven days though so watch this space. The Electric Pop Group also have a few UK shows coming up so see below for those details as well.
Firmly in the bad news category is the announcement that Matinée favorites The Lucksmiths have decided to call it a day. Here is a sadly official sounding farewell notice from the band:
Dear Friends,
There’s no easy way to put this, so please accept our apologies for the seemingly abrupt nature of this post. We are saddened to announce that after sixteen years as The Lucksmiths, the band has decided to break up.
The last few years have been an uphill battle in many ways, so this isn’t a hasty decision based on any falling-out between band members, but rather, an acceptance of the inevitable. This decision was finally reached a few months back, so we’ve had plenty of time to let it sink in.
We had tried to operate the band in a way that would suit all of us, but at the same time we’ve been very conscious that too much compromise would in the end affect our creative output. We’re very proud of the music we make, and we certainly didn’t want it to start stinking. So, in taking our cues from Devo, we’ve decided to whip the proverbial cream before it sits out too long.
We’re really excited about our upcoming European tour, and have booked some Australian dates for our “farewell tour” in August. The details for these shows are in our gig guide. We really hope to see as many people at these shows as possible, as we will be playing super long sets, cramming in as many old favourites as possible.
We must apologise for not making it back to the USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand or Singapore, or to the other amazing European countries we’ve previously visited — and for never having made it to the other fifty or so countries we’d hoped to tour one day.
We really want to thank you all, especially the wonderful people who’ve helped us out in any way, and anyone who’s listened to our music or come to a show. We’ve loved having you in our world and we will miss you dearly.
xo The Lucksmiths
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So no new recordings are on the horizon (believe me, we tried..), but the lucky people of Germany, Sweden, Norway, Spain, England, Scotland, and Australia all have a chance to see the band one last time over the next few months. Please see the band’s website or Myspace for complete tour details or to start a petition to make this not really happen!
Finally, we have just returned to our home after five days of mandatory evacuation due to a wildfire burning in every direction here in Santa Barbara. The immediate threat appears to be over but this one was a little too close for comfort. Thanks to everyone who inquired about our safety the last few days and apologies to anyone who placed an order during this time. Normal service resumes today. You know we’re having a huge sale still at the mailorder, right? Some new music could be exactly what you need to get over this Lucksmiths news… Bye!