X ANNOUNCE ADDITIONAL SPRING & SUMMER TOUR DATES

JOINING VIOLENT FEMMES FOR SELECT MAY DATES

The iconic punk rock band, X, have announced additional dates for the first leg of their upcoming spring/summer tour plans. The first tour leg will begin on May 2 in Hermosa Beach, CA at a VIP party for the BeachLife Festival after which Exene Cervenka, John Doe, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake will then join the Violent Femmes for a 9-date co-headlining tour starting May 6th at Humphrey's in San Diego, CA and continuing on through May 17th in St. Louis at The Pageant. In addition, X and Violent Femmes will be among the top stars at Arlington, TX's upcoming KAABOO Texas, set for Saturday, May 11th alongside The Killers, Kid Rock, Sting, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Avett Brothers and many more.

X recently announced the reissuing and remastering of their first four classic albums via their collaboration with Fat Possum Records. Los Angeles (1980) will be released on February 22nd, Wild Gift (1981) will be released on March 22nd, while Under The Big Black Sun (1982) and More Fun In The New World (1983) will each be released on April 12th. In addition, the band recently re-entered the recording studio for the first time since 1984. In two days, five songs were recorded with producer Rob Schnapf, release plans are pending.

Formed in 1977, X quickly established themselves as one of the best bands in the first wave of LA's flourishing punk scene; becoming legendary leaders of a punk generation. Featuring vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist/bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebrake, their debut 45 was released on the seminal Dangerhouse label in 1978, followed by seven studio albums released from 1980-1993. X's first two studio albums, Los Angeles and Wild Gift are ranked by Rolling Stone among the top 500 greatest albums of all time. Over the years, the band has released several critically acclaimed albums, topped the musical charts with regularity and performed their iconic hits on top television shows such as Letterman and American Bandstand. In 2017, the band celebrated their 40th anniversary in music with a Grammy Museum exhibit opening, a Proclamation from the City of Los Angeles and being honored at a Los Angeles Dodgers game, where Exene threw out the first pitch and John Doe sang the National Anthem. The band continues to tour with the original line-up.

X on Tour

May 02 – Hermosa Beach, CA – Beach Life Festival (VIP Party) **

May 05 – San Diego - Humphrey’s *

May 07 – Phoenix – Van Buren *

May 09 – Austin, TX – ALC Live * 

May 10 – Houston, TX – HOB *

May 11 – Dallas, TX – KAABOO Festival **

May 13 – San Antonio – The Aztec *

May 14 – Tulsa, OK – Caines *

May 16 – Memphis, TN – Graceland *

May 17 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant *

May 21 – Detroit, MI – El Club

May 22 – Kent, OH – The Kent Stage

May 24 – Albany, NY – TBA

May 25– Holyoke, MA – The Gateway City Arts

May 28 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House

May 30 – Chicago, IL – HOB

May 31 – Thornville, OH – Camp Anarchy Festival **

More X Summer tour dates to be announced soon

*X with Violent Femmes

**Festival Date

GANG OF FOUR RETURNS TO DETROIT ON THEIR 40th ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Words: Sue Static - Photos: Kim Ski

U.K. post-punk stalwarts Gang of Four returned to Detroit on their 2019 tour to promote their
new album,” Happy Now” on February 16 at El Club in Detroit. The tour also celebrated their
40th Anniversary of the stellar debut album “Entertainment.” This was the second time back
with the current lineup and the show drew old fans as well as new who have never seen the
band before and now had a chance to experience their live musical assault.

They wasted no time bringing on their musical attack as they struck the opening chords of the
song “Anthrax” from the 1979 EP “Damaged Goods.” Guitarist Andy Gill proceeded to whip
his guitar onto the stage floor they launched into an epic 17-song set covering many early
songs from their catalog that had the audience in a frenzy. The new songs from their latest
releases, “Happy Now” and “Complicit” sounded right at home with the old classics. They
knew what the audience came to hear and delivered the damaged goods! The encores of “I
Found That Essence Rare” and “He'd Send In the Army” had singer John “Gaoler” Sterry
meet his match with a very unfortunate microwave oven that he attempted to smash into
smithereens.

The highly influential band made its debut in 1977 playing a mix of punk and funk with heavy
social and political themes. They are widely considered one of the leading bands of the late
1970s/early 1980s post-punk movement. Their debut album, “Entertainment” ranked as the
fifth greatest punk album and made it to Number 483 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums
of All Time, and is listed by Pitchfork Media as the 8th best album of the 1970s. David Fricke
of Rolling Stone described Gang of Four as "probably the best politically motivated band in
rock & roll." The mid-80s found the band digressing from their early sound into electronic
territory, but the darker themes remained.

The new album, “Happy Now” continues to explore this electronic fare, but still retains the
signature edgy guitar sound. It was released via Pledge Music and follows the April 2018
release of the EP “Complicit,” their latest recording since their return with the new
configuration of the band back in 2015.

For more information on the band, check out www.gangoffourofficial.co.uk

PETER MURPHY Announces North American RUBY TOUR Celebrating 40 Years of BAUHAUS

Performing the Groundbreaking Debut Album
IN THE FLAT FIELD in Its Entirety
 

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of iconic and highly revered post-punk band BAUHAUS, PETER MURPHY has announced the RUBY TOUR which will circle the continent beginning and ending in Southern California. Along with fellow Bauhaus bandmate DAVID J on bass, they will be performing their debut album IN THE FLAT FIELD in its entirety along with an extended encore of Bauhaus classics. "There is something in you... a fire that doesn’t burn, but invokes light... where four individuals become one action and yet retain each of their own singular uniqueness," Peter says. "The David J lookalike that I've cheekily placed in the band is not only fooling you but has, by a miracle, become the real thing! It's David J himself! Look at thaaattt!  David J 'is' the real thing! Now isn't that just right, if not, lovely?” Adds David J on his recent tours with Peter, "This series of shows have been some of the most electrifying of my career! The band is super tight and playing with lashings of panache and as for M. Murphy, well, he is simply so damn ON! Ruby rising and then some!" Kicking off on Jan. 16th at Anaheim’s City National Grove, the tour will hit Seattle (Jan. 20th @ The Neptune), Austin (Jan. 31st at Paramount Theater), New York (Feb. 14th at Terminal 5) and Chicago (Feb. 22nd @ Rockefeller Chapel) before concluding in Los Angeles’s (Feb. 28th at The Novo DTLA). Full dates are below. As far as debut albums go, In The Flat Field  established Bauhaus as the leader of a new post-punk movement whose music has often been imitated but never matched. Both praised and derided when it was first released (the telltale markings of a groundbreaking movement), In the Flat Field emerged at a pivotal point in alternative music. “Few debut albums ever arrived so nearly perfectly formed… In the Flat Field started off Bauhaus' album career with a near-perfect bang,” as praised by All Music Guide. Trouser Press called the album “a dense, disjointed patchwork of sounds and uncertain feelings, supported by a pressured, incessant beat… Combining guitars and electronics into a bleak backdrop for Peter Murphy's angst-driven vocals, Bauhaus ignited what was already a volatile mix by throwing dark, energetic theatrics into the pot.” First emerging from the British punk and rock underground in the late 70s, Murphy (along with bandmates Daniel Ash, David J and Kevin Haskins) fronted the groundbreaking rock band Bauhaus which spawned four iconoclastic and ultra-seminal albums as well as keystone singles "She's In Parties", "Silent Hedges", and, of course, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" before disbanding in 1983. Murphy launched a successful solo career that has yielded ten solo albums so far, including his latest LION, released in 2014.

RUBY TOUR
Celebrating 40 Years of Bauhaus

Wed, Jan 16 – Anaheim CA @ City National Grove of Anaheim
Fri, Jan 18 - Portland OR @ Roseland Theatre
Sat, Jan 19 – Vancouver BC @ Vogue Theatre
Sun, Jan 20 – Seattle WA @ The Neptune
Tue, Jan 22 – Salt Lake City UT – Venue TBA
Thu, Jan 24 – San Diego CA @ The Observatory North Park
Fri, Jan 25 – Phoenix AZ @ The Van Buren
Sat, Jan 26 – Albuquerque NM @ Sunshine Theater
Sun, Jan 27 – Oklahoma City OK @ Tower Theatre
Mon, Jan 28 – Kansas City MO @ The Truman
Wed, Jan 30 – Dallas TX @ Granada Theater
Thu, Jan 31 – Austin TX @ Paramount Theater
Fri, Feb 1 – San Antonio TX @ Paper Tiger
Sat, Feb 2 – Houston TX @ White Oak Music Hall
Mon, Feb 4 – New Orleans LA @ Civic Theatre
Wed, Feb 6 – Miami FL @ The Ground at Club Space
Thu, Feb 7 – Orlando FL @ Plaza Live
Fri, Feb 8 – Atlanta GA @ The Masquerade
Sat, Feb 9 – Carrboro NC @ Cats Cradle
Mon, Feb 11 – Baltimore MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
Tue, Feb 12 – Philadelphia PA @ Union Transfer
Thu, Feb 14 – New York NY @ Terminal 5
Fri, Feb 15 – Worcester MA @ The Palladium
Sat, Feb 16 – Montreal QC @ Corona Theatre
Sun, Feb 17 – Toronto ON @ Phoenix Theatre
Tue, Feb 19 – Detroit MI @ St Andrews Hall
Thu, Feb 21 – Columbus OH @ Columbus Athenaeum
Fri, Feb 22 – Chicago IL @ Rockefeller Chapel
Tue, Feb 26 – Denver CO @ Oriental Theater
Thu, Feb 28 – Los Angeles CA @ The Novo DTLA

Gang of Four To Release New Full-Length Record; HAPPY NOW out March 1, 2019

Available Now on Pre-Order from PledgeMusic 

 US Tour Begins February 4th

Following up their provocative 2018 EP “Complicit”, which featured Ivanka Trump on its cover, pioneering post-punk band GANG OF FOUR are set to release their brand new full-length HAPPY NOW on March 1, 2019 via PledgeMusic, which is available now for pre-order. Happy Now comes 40 years after the release of the band’s groundbreaking debut Entertainment!, diving deeper into the heart of the classic Go4 sound with a modern slant. A combination of electronics and angular lines pursuing 21st century grooves achieve the striking balance between the band’s fundamental sound and its restless embrace of the now and the new. Harnessing the unbridled energy of their live show, Gaoler's melodic vocals radiate confidence while Andy GIll's serrated guitar cuts through Thomas McNiece and Tobias Humble’s grooving rhythm section. The result is a body of anthemic songs of modern confusion, and the band’s best and most consistent work since their post-punk years. “Happiness is always an odd one; so difficult to pin down. Our personal lives are always a mixture-sad things, tragedy, joy,” explains founding member Andy Gill. “When we were younger we thought things would gradually get better: the world would be less sexist, less racist, progress would be made and now we know that history isn’t linear; it’s very capable of U-turns." The band is also announcing a US tour in support of Happy Now starting February 4th in Tustin, CA. The band will be traveling across the country for two months hitting cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, culminating at Rough Trade in New York City. Full list of tour dates can be found below as well as on Bandsintown, and on Songkick.

TOUR DATES     Feb 4 Marty’s On Newport Tustin, CA   Feb 5 The Casbah San Diego, CA   Feb 6 Roxy Theatre W. Hollywood, CA   Feb 8 Strummer’s Fresno, CA   Feb 9 The Chapel San Francisco, CA   Feb 11 Global Hall Denver, CO   Feb 12 Slow Down Omaha, NE   Feb 13 Space Evanston, IL   Feb 14 Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI   Feb 16 El Club Detroit, MI   Feb 17 Club Café Pittsburgh, PA   Feb 19 Once Ballroom Somerville, MA   Feb 20 Space Ballroom Hamden, CT   Feb 21 U Street Music Hall Washington, DC   Feb 22 Underground Arts Philadelphia, PA   Feb 23 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ   Feb 24 The Colony Woodstock, NY   Feb 25 Rough Trade NYC Brooklyn, NY

Groundbreaking and seminal from their getgo in 1977, Gang of Four's beginnings heralded a new direction for punk and ushered a sound that would later be coined as "postpunk", with Gill's unique and revolutionary guitar playing front and center. Their 1979 debut album Entertainment! felt like a blast of ice-cold water, both in form and content. Voted in Pitchfork’s top ten albums of the 70's and a ‘Record That Changed The World’ by MOJO, Entertainment! is equally beloved by the likes of R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine among many others. Since 2015’s critically-acclaimed album What Happens Next, Gang of Four has been championed by artists as diverse as St. Vincent, James Murphy, Pharrell Williams and Frank Ocean, the latter of whom sampled their music on Blonde. As guitarist, composer, producer and lyric writer, Gill was and remains the band’s driving force. He plays the guitar like it’s sparking with electricity, while his band of young droogs add a youthful energy that makes Gang of Four a thrilling exercise in reinvention. Gang of Four is Andy Gill, Gaoler, Thomas McNiece, and Tobias Humble. Happy Now is out March 1, 2019 via Pledgemusic.

Happy Now
Track-listing 

1. Toreador
2. Alpha Male
3. One True Friend
4. Ivanka - My Name's On It
5. Don't Ask Me
6. Change the Locks
7. I'm A Liar
8. White Lies
9. Paper Thin
10. Lucky (Bonus Track)

Krampus Night 8 - A Holiday-ish Charity Extravaganza!

Oh you better watch out…’cus he’s coming back to town!  On Friday December 7th 2018, Krampus is at it again with the 8th annual festive event: KRAMPUS NIGHT - A HOLIDAY-ISH CHARITY EXTRAVAGANZA Who is Krampus?  Only the swellest devil to accompany ole’ St Nick on his rounds during the holidays.  Unlike Santa, he joyfully punishes the naughty by swatting them with switches…but who doesn’t?  However, on this night he’s a devil with a cause helping those in need with a… Toy & Canned Food Drive  Bring in some new toys or cans of food and get in on the cheap (and some good feels)!  All toy donations are taken directly to a Toys For Tots center to benefit less fortunate children during the holidays and all canned donations go to Burners Without Borders Detroit to help feed the homeless (click here for details). But he’s not stopping there with his benevolent malevolence!  He’s also helping to support local artists with a…  Krampus Naughty List Bazaar  Buy some swell affordable art gifts for the naughty on your list (or for your naughty self)!  You'll find everything from small unique stocking stuffers to large original art pieces. And to make this a Black Friday you won’t regret, there’s also a…  Not-So-Silent Art Auction  Generously donated by various artists of the DAMNED Exhibition and the Krampus Bazaar, you can bid to take home some amazing fine art while helping the homeless!  100% of all auction funds go directly to Burners Without Borders Detroit to help purchase much needed supplies to create survival backpacks for the homeless (click here for details). But wait!  There’s also the 7th annual…  Wreck The Halls Exhibition  It's a crap-tastic "exhibition" of holiday-ish ornaments and decorations created by the all-volunteer Krampus Redecoration Anticrafting Party (KRAP)!  These tiny monstrosities re-imagined from thrift/dollar store junk will be haphazardly spread out all over the venue.  And WTH also includes the Bad Gingerbread House Competition! And for your “entertainment”, we once again bring you the hilariously disastrous…  Christmahanakwanza Variety Show Spectacular  Come experience a wild night of amazingly bad lip syncing, barely rehearsed skits and impromptu shenanigans loosely based on your favorite holiday television and film classics!  Featuring Satori Circus, Lushes LaMoan, Magenta Demure, Bootsie La Fontaine, Scott Dambacher and lounge singer extraordinaire Konrad Lee! And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also… Krampus Short Film Festive-ish Festival of short "holiday" films! Audience participatory Fugly Holiday Sweater Contest! A full bar with all the boozy trimmings and spiked punch specials! Swanky holiday lounge music all night...every-freakin'-where! And THE BIG MAN HIMSELF (KRAMPUS) will host a charity donation photo booth for photographic evidence and fun! + Schedule + 07p – The Naughty List Bazaar opens 08p – Krampus arrives for a charity photobooth & swattings 09p – Wreck The Halls short film festival 10p – Christmahanakwanza Variety Show Spectacular Pt1 11p – Audience participation Fugly Holiday Sweater Contest followed by Christmahanakwanza Variety Show Spectacular Pt2 12a – Gingerbread House Competition winner selection followed by Last Call (& bidding fight!) for the Not-So-Silent Auction 02a – GET OUT AND GO SOMEPLACE ELSE!!! + Admission + $15 with New Unwrapped Toy and/or 3 Canned Food Donation* $20 for rotten stinkin’ Scrooges without either *non-Scrooges also receive a coupon worth $5 off their purchase of $25 or more in the Naughty List Bazaar! There is no dress code but creative/naughty/festive holiday costuming welcome! Krampus Night 8 – A Not-So-Holiday Charity Benefit Extravaganza Friday December 7th 2018 – 7pm until 2am – Strictly 18+ Tangent Gallery/Hastings, 715 E Milwaukee St, Detroit, MI Merry Krampus and Stay Naughty!!! Holiday demon Krampus descends on Detroit - Donna Terek, The Detroit News