Matador Revisionist History Podcast - Episode 3: Gang of Four and Mission of Burma
Today, we are thrilled to present the third episode of the Matador Revisionist History podcast, which pairs artists and collaborators to discuss a Matador album celebrating a noteworthy anniversary.
In honor of the 40th anniversaries of Gang of Four’s Solid Gold and Mission of Burma’s Signals, Calls and Marches, we had Jon King and Hugo Burnham sit down with Clint Conley and Roger Miller. Now labelmates on Matador, the two bands met in 1979 when they shared a bill at Boston’s Rat Club. “They were really loud,” recalls Burnham. “We thought we were loud. And wanted to be loud. And were loud. But it’s like, “We’ve got competition here.”
Featuring a theme song by The New Pornographers’ A.C. Newman and new host Matt Sweeney (Superwolves, Chavez), this one-hour conversation traces the origins of the four-decade friendship between two of the most iconic bands in rock history and comes sprinkled with never-before-heard anecdotes, musings on their greatest artistic influences, and deep takes on Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.
The Matador Revisionist History podcast is available to stream exclusively via Spotify. Listen to episode 3 HERE.
Solid Gold is now available to purchase and stream HERE and Signals, Calls and Marches is now available to purchase and stream HERE.
Mission of Burma Online
Website
Gang of Four '77-81 online
website
Gang Of Four / Matador Records
Gang of Four official Facebook
Gang of Four official Twitter
Gang of Four official Instagram
Stream the new Mission Of Burma album on Spotify
Check out the new album from Mission Of Burma, 'Unsound,' on Spotify, now streaming in its entirety.
The album is coming on Fire Records next Tuesday, July 10.
Mission of Burma...1, 2, 3...Tour Dates
After hitting Brooklyn and Hoboken this past January with two blistering, sold-out shows, Mission of Burma are set to follow up with a handful of new dates in the upcoming months. First, they will officially usher in the summer in the northeast with a pair of Memorial Day weekend shows in Rhode Island and Maine, and then they'll head to Texas in July for a one-off at the Mohawk in Austin. A limited number of tickets for all three shows are available for presale starting today at 10AM.
Dates:
Thu, May 26 - The Met Cafe, Pawtucket, RI (Presale)
Sat, May 28 - The Space, Porland, ME (Presale)
Fri, July 22 - The Mohawk, Austin TX (Presale)
Mission Of Burma - Hoboken & Brooklyn Dates In January
("Devotion", live at ATP, Minehead, May 14, 2010)
It's been nearly a full calendar year since Mission Of Burma provided the Empire or Garden States with what the social crusaders like to call "teaching moments". Thankfully, the drought is nearly over, with new shows confirmed at Maxwell's on January 28 and Brooklyn's Bell House on January 29. Tickets are on sale now.
WFMU Primavera broadcasts: Pavement, The New Pornographers, and more
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="540" caption="photo by Bob Weston"]
[/caption]WFMU returns to Barcelona's Primavera Sound festival, which starts tonight and features a lineup that is pretty damned impressive. Just like last year, WFMU will be broadcasting Primavera sets from various artists, including the following Matador bands at the following times (all EDT):
FRIDAY, MAY 28
12:10pm Mission of Burma
5:40pm The New Pornographers
8:45pm Pavement
SATURDAY, MAY 29
1:10pm Condo Fucks
2:20pm Cold Cave
The full WFMU Primavera broadcast schedule, which includes sets by The Fall, Wire, Liquid Liquid, and other luminaries, can be found at WFMU's Beware of the Blog. All times are subject to change, so pay attention to WFMU's Twitter and Facebook for updates. Tune in to WFMU at 91.1FM in NY/NJ, 90.1FM in the Hudson Valley, and wfmu.org for everyone else.
Mission Of Burma In (Temporary) Exile
(performing 'The Obliterati''s "Donna Sumeria", September 5, 2009)
Persons familiar with the crazy econo-touring habits of Mission Of Burma circa 1980-82 will recall the band's American jaunts were often managed via numerous connecting flights and mind-numbing layovers. Despite label suggestions they hit the continent via boat, there's a similar scheme at work this week, bringing Burma to Ireland, the UK, Porugal and Spain for the first time since the release of 2009's fantastic 'The Sound, The Speed, The Light'.
12 May - Crawdaddy, Dublin
13 May- Dingwall's, London
14 May - Butlin's Holiday Centre (Pavement-curated ATP)
24 May - Ze Dos Bois, Lisbon
25 May - Serralves, Porto
26 May - Festival Sinsal Oito, Sala Mondo, Vigo
27 May - Primavera Sound, Barcelona
May 2010 - Time To Come To Europe
It's that time of year again - where if you want some Matador shows, then best head to Europe in May.
In alphabetical order...
COLD CAVE on tour in May :
7 UK, All Tomorrows Parties, Minehead Butlins
8 UK, Leeds, Nation of Shopkeepers
9 Scotland, Glasgow, Captains Rest
10 UK, Manchester, Deaf Institute
12 UK, London, Cargo
13 UK, Brighton, Great Escape Festival
14 Holland, Amsterdam, Paradiso
15 Belgium, Brussells, Rotonde
16 Germany, Hamburg, Uebel & Gefahrlich
18 Sweden, Stockholm, Svenska
19 Denmark, Copenhagen, Rust
20 Germany, Berlin, Bang Bang Club
21 Germany, Offenbach, Hafen 2
22 Switzerland, St Gallen @Theater Palace
23 Switzerland, Fribourg @fri-Son
24 Italy, Bologna, Rocker Festival
25 Italy, Turin, Spazio 211
27 France, Paris, Point Emphere
29 Spain, Barcelona, Primavera Festival
MISSION OF BURMA also on tour in May :
12 Dublin, Ireland, Crawdaddy
13 London, England, Dingwalls
14 Minehead, England, All Tomorrows Parties
24 Lisbon, Portugal, ZDB - Zé dos Bois
25 Porto, Portugal, Serralves Museu del Arte (note-seated venue)
26 Vigo, Spain, Marco
27 Barcelona, Primavera
THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS holidaying in May :
19 UK, London, Electric Ballroom
21 Germany, Berlin, Magnet 'Club NME'
22 Germany, Hamburg, Molotow
23 Holland, Amsterdam, Melkweg
25 Belgium, Brussels, Orangerie
26 France, Paris, La Maroquinerie
28 Spain, Barcelona, Primavera Festival
TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS busking throughout May :
06 UK, London, Luminaire
07 UK, Plymouth, White Rabbit
08 Ireland, Dublin, Whelans
09 UK, Belfast, Oh Yeah Centre
10 UK, Glasgow, Captains Rest
11 UK, Newcastle, Cluny
13 UK, Cardiff, Buffalo Bar
16 Netherlands, Utrecht, DB's Studio
18 Germany, Hamburg, Prinzenbar
22 Croatia, Zagreb, Kset
26 France, Paris, Cafe De La Danse
TIMES NEW VIKING back to party in May :
14 UK, All Tomorrows Parties, Minehead Butlins
Don't forget, there's also the previously announced Dead Meadow European May dates and the Pavement reunion shows also in May. Harlem May/June dates will be on the way too. Mark your diaries.
Mission of Burma - Aquarium Drunkard session
Late last year Burma laid down a savage session for Aquarium Drunkard at Infrasonic Sound.Some of the songs they played came from the excellent The Sound The Speed The Light. Buy that album here.
Don't miss the band in concert when they're in your area:
April
Wednesday 07 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
Thursday 08 - Ann Arbor, AL - Blind Pig
Friday 09 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Saturday 10 - Chicago, IL - Double Door
May
Friday 14 - Minehead UK - Pavement ATP
Thursday 27 - Barcelona ES - Primavera Sound
from Aquarium Drunkard:
Mission of Burma :: Blunder (Aquarium Drunkard Session) from Aquarium Drunkard on Vimeo.
Mission of Burma :: Careening With Conviction (Aquarium Drunkard Session) from Aquarium Drunkard on Vimeo.
Mission of Burma :: Here It Comes (Aquarium Drunkard Session) from Aquarium Drunkard on Vimeo.
Mission of Burma :: Dirt (Aquarium Drunkard Session) from Aquarium Drunkard on Vimeo.
Mission Of Burma - 3 New Eastern US Dates
(ancient flyer art swiped from The City Record. Very magnanimous of SSD to allow young hopefuls MOB on the above bill)
In addition to the already mentioned 2 night stands at the Bowery Ballroom and the Paradise, Mission Of Burma have confirmed they'll be visiting the following cities in early 2010 :
Thu, 2/18 - Philadelphia PA - First Unitarian Church
Fri, 2/19 - Richmond VA - Tyler Haynes Commons (Univ of Richmond)
Sat, 2/20 - Washington DC - Black Cat
Ticket/support band info will be posted ..when someone asks me to! Have a great weekend.
(The Sound, The Speed, The Light, LP/CD and digital album, available from The Matador Store)
("Innermost" b/w "Here It Comes" MP3/FLAC single, also available from The Matador Store)
Mission of Burma air their not so Dirty Laundry
While in Los Angeles during their November tour, Mission of Burma, or at least 3/4s of Burma, were able to air their dirty laundry from the comfort of the Echo's artist green room. Admittedly Burma's dirty laundry is lacking of any major dirt as the band opted to praise Matador honchos Gerard Cosloy and Patrick Amory, name check fellow label mates, Yo La Tengo and Sonic Youth, and thank Burma fans who have supported them for decades, instead of airing any grievances or talking any smack. But these days there is too much negativity anyway, so we were pleased just to watch them tell their story.
A nice backstage conversation, courtesy of Dirty Laundry TV, which shows just how nice these guys really are. If you're in Boston or New York in January then stop by the following shows to see just how good these guys really are!
Fri, 1/15 - Boston - Paradise
Sat, 1/16 - Boston - Paradise
Fri, 1/29 - New York - Bowery Ballroom
Sat, 1/30 - New York - Bowery Ballroom
Mission Of Burma - WOXY Session
(photo by WOXY's Loren Kilpatrick)
A couple of weeks ago, Mission Of Burma entertained several thousand rain-drenched Austin folk as part of the annual Fun Fun Fun Festival in Waterloo Park. The afternoon prior, the band visited WOXY's new South Austin studios (located just a stone's throw from my house --- please, that's just an expression. DON'T BE THROWING ANYTHING) and the resulting session is available for download here, save for Burma's cover of the Yardbirds' ""Happenings Ten Years Time Ago".
Just a reminder that following a recent run on the West Coast, a few tickets still remain for the following dates :
1/15 - Paradise, Boston
1/16 - Paradise, Boston
1/29 - Bowery Ballroom, NYC
1/30 - Bowery Ballroom, NYC
(The Sound, The Speed, The Light, LP/CD and digital album, available from The Matador Store)
("Innermost" b/w "Here It Comes" MP3/FLAC single, also available from The Matador Store)
Mission Of Burma In The Wild West
Just a healthy reminder that Mission Of Burma will be making a rare Central Texas appearance this Sunday at the 4th edition of Austin's Fun Fun Fun Festival (other participants include fellow Matadorians Shearwater, Fucked Up, Times New Viking and Harlem). The Burma documentary, "Not A Photograph", will be shown at Austin's Alamo Ritz Sunday night, hosted by the band, after which Peter, Roger, Clint and Bob will be hitting the following glamor towns :
Nov 10 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Nov 11 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
Nov 12 Eugene, OR Wow Hall
Nov 14 San Francisco, CA The Independent
Nov 15 Los Angeles, CA The Echoplex
Mission of Burma / Boston & New York City shows announced for early 2010!
So it's been a mere couple of weeks since Mission of Burma celebrated their very own day in Boston (technically they were in Cambridge, but really folks lets not knit pick) and even longer since their killer set at Jelly NYC's Pool Party (that had no pool, again folks let's not get caught up in the details) in Brooklyn this past July. Well fear not Northeasterners, Burma's tour plans include coming back our way and not just hitting the West Coast . As the saying goes, "back by popular demand", Mission of Burma have 4 new shows to announce, 2 in Boston (Paradise Rock Club on Fri, 1/15 + Sat, 1/16/10) and 2 in NYC (Bowery Ballroom on Fri, 1/29 + Sat, 1/30/10).
Pre-sale tickets for the Boston shows go up today at 10am. CLICK HERE to order tickets. Tickets are $20 for one show and $35 for both shows. The pre-sale is only available to those purchasing 2-Day Passes. You know what they say, double the Burma, double the Fun. Ok maybe only we say that but we believe it. General ticket sales for the Boston shows start on Sat, 10/31.
As for the NYC shows just CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to a single show or a 2-Day pass.
Records out today! and a video
It's Tuesday, which means records are in stores... today, October 6, we have new albums from Kurt Vile and Mission Of Burma.
Kurt Vile Childish ProdigyKurt Vile is an evocative, textural young singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. He is already well known for his debut album, Constant Hitmaker, released on the tiny but historic Gulcher label, as well as a slew of singles and 12"es on labels from Woodsist to Mexican Summer.
His Matador debut, Childish Prodigy, is an altogether more serious affair. Opening with the pounding Hunchback, it continues through a varied set of tracks ranging from gorgeous little folk pieces (Overnite Religion) to all-out jams (Freak Train). The record has incredible depth and beauty to it - as well as sound "quality" all over the map, from lo-fi to hi-fi - and unlike so many albums today, rewards repeated listens.
The Breakfast at Sulimay's folks as well as the team at United Way didn't get Kurt at all, which can only be a good thing. Touchpoints range from Seger to Springsteen to Sonic Boom. See Kurt Vile with his Violators tour the US starting
Vinyl is RTI HQ-120 gram with MP3 coupon including 2 bonus tracks.
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Matador Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at iTunes
Mission Of Burma The Sound The Speed The LightThe fourth studio album from Mission Of Burma is The Sound The Speed The Light, a compact 12-song piece of guitar architecture in the tradition of their second album, Vs. It blasts out of the gate with the unusually tuneful 1, 2, 3, Partyy! (video debuting today - WATCH IT) and continues through moody ballads like Forget Yourself, Feed, Slow Faucet through to the volcanic energy of Good Cheer.
It's two days after Boston City Council resolved that Sunday, October 4 was Mission Of Burma Day. Support these stalwarts of modern music, titans of our age, watch the new video below, and then buy the record.
Vinyl is RTI HQ-120 gram including MP3 coupon.
Buy at Newbury Comics
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Matador Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at iTunes
And don't forget, there's an essential 7" already out that contains 2 new songs that are conceptually part of the album, in the words of Roger Miller. It's called Innermost, and you can find it on the Matador Store, as well as most of the fine retailers listed above.
For all of Matador's upcoming releases, check the Release Schedule page.
Government Center Update : Sunday Officially Declared "Mission Of Burma Day" In Boston
In addition to Tuesday's release of Mission Of Burma's 5th (!) studio album, 'The Sound, The Speed, The Light' and Sunday's free outdoor concert at M.I.T., Boston's City Council have wisely declared October 4, 2009, "Mission Of Burma Day". Y'know, the City Council gets a bad rap every now and then, but for one day at least, our cynicism about local politics has been replaced by whole-hearted enthusiasm (and a desire to sell more copies of a fantastic new Burma 7" hardly enough of you have checked out).
Mission Of Burma Day in Boston, October 4 - Free MIT show details
October 4 is right around the corner, which means we're just days away from Mission Of Burma sure-to-be-monumental show at MIT's East Campus Courtyard. Yesterday we announced the winner of the Battle For Burma, New Haven, CT's Eula, but there were still a few things left unsaid, and we're going to say them now.
The lineup for the show is:
Mission Of Burma
Big Bear
Eula
Other important details:
- This is a free, all ages show.
- The show is on the East Campus Courtyard, 3 Ames Street. Click here to see a Google Map of the location.
- Please note that there is NO on-site parking. If you have to drive there, you're on your own parking the car. Obviously, we strongly encourage the use of mass transit.
- Show is rain or shine.
- Eula starts the show at 2:30.
- There is NO ALCOHOL ALLOWED at this show.
- Backpacks and coolers are likewise NOT ALLOWED so please don't bring them.
- The fine folks at Newbury Comics will be at the show to sell the new Mission Of Burma album, The Sound The Speed The Light, two days before you can buy it in stores. You can also pre-order the record here if that's more your style.
If you're in the area, this is a can't-miss show. See you there.
Battle For Burma contest winner revealed
We are very, very happy to announce the winner of the Battle For Burma. The winner, who will be opening for Mission Of Burma at their free show at MIT on Sunday, October 4, is New Haven, CT's own Eula.
Congratulations to Eula, and thanks to everyone who entered the Battle For Burma. Stay tuned for further info.
Mission of Burma - Full album stream (Rhapsody)
Mission of Burma's excellent new album, The Sound, The Speed, The Light isn't out for another week, and some people can't even wait until Tuesday to hail its brilliance.We have you covered though - Rhapsody is streaming the entire album right now!
Disable your pop-up blockers, check the album out, and then own it forever.
Mission Of Burma Day in Boston October 4th - Free show at MIT + The Battle for Burma
[caption id="attachment_6048" align="alignnone" width="397" caption="poster by Brian Kelly"][/caption]I’d like to think that by now you’re all aware that Mission Of Burma’s new album, The Sound The Speed The Light, is coming out on October 6th (and is available for pre-order here). What I can tell you now is that the trio of Clint Conley, Roger Miller & Peter Prescott will be playing a free, all-ages outdoor show on the East Campus Courtyard of MIT just two days earlier, at 2pm on Sunday, October 4th.
Not only is this an unprecedented celebration of Mission Of Burma in their hometown, it’s also an opportunity for YOU (or maybe one of your friends if you’re not musically-inclined) to open for one of the greatest bands of all time. That’s right, it’s the Battle For Burma, an online battle of the bands where your band can vie for an opening slot at this very special show. To submit your band, click on this image below and upload a video of yourselves performing:
The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 25, and the winner will be hand-picked by Mission Of Burma. Contest is open to ANY band, as long as you’re cool with playing for free.
More details to come, but for now, mark your calendars, because October 4th is going to be an unusually great day at MIT.