Introducing John Grant
on tour with Midlake
MIDLAKE
JOHN GRANT
SATURDAY, MAY 22 – MAGIC STICK
$12/14 * AA * 8:00 PM
MCB's Jeremy Whiting will be covering this show at the Magic Stick May 22
The Courage of Others is the lusted after follow-up to Midlake’s 2006 cult classic The Trials of Van Occupanther. Existing outside the plane of trends and even time, Midlake has once again conjured a novel world, but one that seems to have existed forever. Looms of intricately textured keyboards, flute, guitars and voice are woven into broad cloaks of sound, all riding the wave of songwriter Tim Smith’s sweeping vocals. Recorded over the course of two years in their Denton, Texas studio, The Courage of Others is the result of the band’s quest to create a complete work. It is an album in the classic sense, meant to be digested in a single sitting and given the opportunity to become more than its constituent parts. Here the band blends early Brit folk influences with thick-throated guitars to propel themselves toward new sounds and emotions. Creeping and epic, The Courage of Others is positioned to be the latest installment in the important and ever-evolving discography of one of modern music’s most unique torchbearers.
John Grant’s Queen of Denmark, released April 6 on Bella Union, is a record of personal redemption and vulnerability. Its raw lyrics and quaint, quiet vocals lay bare the emotional crisis John Grant found himself in after his breakups with his boyfriend, TC, and breakup of his former band, The Czars, and the still un-resolved anger he has over growing up in a conservative Christian family in Texas as a gay child. Backed by Texas’s Midlake, Queen of Denmark is moody and mellow, subversive (i.e. the tounge-in-cheek “Jesus Hates Faggots”) and self-deprecating. Recalling the halcyon days of ‘70’s AM gold, Queen of Denmark is partly the product of a pension for his parents’ Supertramp, John Denver and Abba 8-tracks, though his own music leans more toward Harry Nilsson, Scott Walker and Randy Newman. You’ll find Queen of Denmark’s melodies soothing at the same time its lyrics burrow down to that one remaining exposed nerve – bending and plucking it like an E string. Queen of Denmark is already being celebrated by the BBC as “One of the most deeply satisfying debut albums of recent times.”
No stranger to therapy (he very publicly talks about his struggles with depression and suicidal ideation) Grant is never too afraid to communicate his insecurities, making Queen of Denmark refreshingly candid. Already, his raw and powerful performances, including a last-minute early stand in slot at this year’s SXSW festival are being noted for their sheer emotional energy.
Doors @ 8pm
Get Tickets Here!!
MIDLAKE
JOHN GRANT
SATURDAY, MAY 22 – MAGIC STICK
$12/14 * AA * 8:00 PM
MCB's Jeremy Whiting will be covering this show at the Magic Stick May 22
The Courage of Others is the lusted after follow-up to Midlake’s 2006 cult classic The Trials of Van Occupanther. Existing outside the plane of trends and even time, Midlake has once again conjured a novel world, but one that seems to have existed forever. Looms of intricately textured keyboards, flute, guitars and voice are woven into broad cloaks of sound, all riding the wave of songwriter Tim Smith’s sweeping vocals. Recorded over the course of two years in their Denton, Texas studio, The Courage of Others is the result of the band’s quest to create a complete work. It is an album in the classic sense, meant to be digested in a single sitting and given the opportunity to become more than its constituent parts. Here the band blends early Brit folk influences with thick-throated guitars to propel themselves toward new sounds and emotions. Creeping and epic, The Courage of Others is positioned to be the latest installment in the important and ever-evolving discography of one of modern music’s most unique torchbearers.
John Grant’s Queen of Denmark, released April 6 on Bella Union, is a record of personal redemption and vulnerability. Its raw lyrics and quaint, quiet vocals lay bare the emotional crisis John Grant found himself in after his breakups with his boyfriend, TC, and breakup of his former band, The Czars, and the still un-resolved anger he has over growing up in a conservative Christian family in Texas as a gay child. Backed by Texas’s Midlake, Queen of Denmark is moody and mellow, subversive (i.e. the tounge-in-cheek “Jesus Hates Faggots”) and self-deprecating. Recalling the halcyon days of ‘70’s AM gold, Queen of Denmark is partly the product of a pension for his parents’ Supertramp, John Denver and Abba 8-tracks, though his own music leans more toward Harry Nilsson, Scott Walker and Randy Newman. You’ll find Queen of Denmark’s melodies soothing at the same time its lyrics burrow down to that one remaining exposed nerve – bending and plucking it like an E string. Queen of Denmark is already being celebrated by the BBC as “One of the most deeply satisfying debut albums of recent times.”
No stranger to therapy (he very publicly talks about his struggles with depression and suicidal ideation) Grant is never too afraid to communicate his insecurities, making Queen of Denmark refreshingly candid. Already, his raw and powerful performances, including a last-minute early stand in slot at this year’s SXSW festival are being noted for their sheer emotional energy.
Doors @ 8pm
Get Tickets Here!!