World's Fair

Beginning June 26, the Oklahoma-based Colourmusic will embark on a Midwestern tour — including stops at Milwaukee’s Summerfest and Des Moines’s 80/35 Festival — in anticipation of their upcoming album, f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13, out September 9.

The record may be their full-length debut, but Colourmusic are no strangers to the stage; besides their own creative, energetic performance (live painting? attempted hypnosis? identical dressing? check, check, and check) they’ve just recently toured with British Sea Power and Liars. Suffice it to say, if you’re anywhere near these cities in the upcoming weeks, you should definitely check them out.

Here’s a video for the live favorite “Yes!,” which was commissioned by the Oklahoma Creativity Project:

Here are the dates:
June 26 - Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s
June 27 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
June 28 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
June 29 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
June 30 - St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
July 02 - Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
July 03 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
July 04 - Des Moines, IA @ 80/35 Festival
July 05 - St. Louis, MO @ The Bluebird
July 06 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge

And here’s a song for the road:
Check out the song “Put In A Little Gas” here [DOWNLOAD]

Artist: Colourmusic
Album: f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13
Label: Great Society
Street Date: September 9, 2008 - CD; August 19, 2008 - Digital/ Vinyl

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

There are bands that sound good on stage, and there are bands that sound good on record, and then there are the fortunate ones that sound good on both. With the full-length debut f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13, out September 9 (August 19 for vinyl and digital) on Great Society, the Oklahoma-based Colourmusic convincingly declare themselves to be a band of both persuasions, already having proven themselves as an imposing live force, most recently as support for British Sea Power on their Spring 2008 US tour.

Check out the song “Put In A Little Gas” here [DOWNLOAD]

With f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13, Colourmusic establish themselves as a group whose playfulness is matched only by their clear understanding of what makes a good song, a satisfying combination of originality, group harmonies, skilled composing, and a refreshingly good-natured outlook on life.

There’s “Yes!,” of course, a track that has been featured on KCRW and has already won over many a fan with its rollicking chorus, a wild repetition that borders on recklessness and yet stays firmly grounded in indie-rock melody, but there’s also the quirky heartland rock of “The Gospel Song” and the crunchy driving bass of “Put In a Little Gas.” “You Can Call Me By My Name” toys somewhere between shoegaze and garage rock and “Spring Song” is nicely inspired by British folk, each song comfortably its own while still tying in to the greater whole.

There’s a concept behind the album — the relationships between colour and notes and emotion, a modern take on Newton’s Colour Theory — but this is not a concept album. Instead, f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13 is spawned from a collaboration of good friends, strong hooks, and organically layered arrangements, an album that’s both practiced and spontaneous, an album that captures both the unadulterated passion found in Colourmusic’s incendiary live show and their consummate musicianship. It’s a complete work, one that truly shows off their unbridled energy and unbounded creativity, a fully-realized portrait of what the band really is, which, when it’s all said and done, ends up being much more than enough.

Check out the song “Put In A Little Gas” here [DOWNLOAD]

Even better, Midwesterners can see the band live and in action early this summer:

June 26 - Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s
June 27 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
June 28 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
June 29 - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
June 30 - St Paul, MN @ Turf Club
July 02 - Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
July 03 - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
July 04 - Des Moines, IA @ 80/35 Festival
July 05 - St. Louis, MO @ The Bluebird
July 06 - Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge

Artist: Colourmusic
Album: f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13
Label: Great Society
Street Date: September 9, 2008 - CD; August 19, 2008 - Digital/ Vinyl

CONNECT: World’s Fair | MySpace | Website

Tiny Masters of Today, the brother-sister duo who have wowed the likes of David Bowie and Karen O. are playing an all-ages after-school special (4pm to 6pm!) in celebration of Chancellor’s Day at Brooklyn’s Union Hall (702 Union Street/5th Ave., Brooklyn, New York). A Mr. Lightspeed Champion will also be performing.

Look, Brooklyn Vegan knows what’s up.

Can’t skip out of work early? Here’s a video to help you through your misery.

If you’re not near Park Slope this afternoon, have no fear. Tiny Masters have festival dates this summer!

June 30 - Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
August 2 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza (Kidzapalooza)
August 8 - Pittsburgh, PA @ New American Music Union Festival

So five British guys decided to come to Austin and play a little prank on us Yanks.

“Let’s wear all white jumpsuits,” one of them said.

“And we’ll say we’re from Kansas!” said another one.

“No, Oklahoma!” chimed in another. “Just like the Flaming Lips.”

“Awesome. They will never know. We will play our brit rock. We will get them all sexed up. We will swirl our guitars, and make the pit pogo. It will be grand.”

“And we’ll call ourselves Colourmusic,” said the last one. Ah, the spelling almost gave them away.

“But we’re not shaving our beards, right?” said the first one.

“Hell, no,” they said in unison.

And there they were on Maggie Mae’s rooftop on the last night of SXSW, pretending to be a handful of bearded guys from Oklahoma…. “Fucking bullshit artist,” I think. “Go back to Glasgow or Manchester or wherever the hell it is you’re from.” Then I wonder if they have a cool T-shirt. - Village Voice / Sound of the City [READ MORE]

… meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, the Tucson Scene is also seeing thru colored music lenses… even Superfan Beatle Bob, who has gone to over 10,000 shows in the last 40 years, is shouting “Yes!” repeatedly @ TSXSW showcase c/o Tucson Scene

In further live reviews, post-SXSW… “Colourmusic is known for its wild stage antics: costumes, painting each other, getting hair cuts while playing. When I walked into the Hi-Dive, they were playing my favorite song, “You Can Call Me By My Name,” simply wearing matching white jumpsuits. It was almost a rebellious move for a band like Colourmusic, and I appreciated it. They don’t need those crazy antics anyhow; their music is good enough as is…” - Denver Post / Reverb [READ MORE]

Let the anticipation build for Stillwater, OK’s Colourmusic’s debut release coming out on Great Society later this year! In the meantime, enjoy these demo’s from their 2 roadworthy EP’s available now

Colourmusic - “Yes!” [DOWNLOAD]

Colourmusic - “Circles” [DOWNLOAD]

Colourmusic - “You Can Call My By Name” [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | World’s Fair

As you may recall, Pela is recovering from a recent near-tragedy. We’re so happy to announce the cancelled dates have been re-scheduled (see below!) with more TBA!

May 19 Washington DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
May 20 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland
May 21 Chicago, IL @ Schubas
May 26 George, WA @ Sasquatch Music Fest
May 27 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
May 28 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of The Hill
May 29 Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland

More dates TBA!!!

Pela’s recent addition to the core foursome, Chris Herb, celebrates with a video collage:

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair News | Myspace

Click here for full interview / excerpt follows…

‘Ready?” asks their mother, who’s been waiting outside. ”We’ve got a show to play.”

Indeed they do. In fact, they’ve played three this week, and will be playing three more in Austin for the South by Southwest music conference. Ivan (guitar and vocals) and Ada (bass, keyboards and vocals) are Tiny Masters of Today. When Russell Simins from manic rockers the Blues Explosion heard their first single, he got in touch and offered to be their drummer. In September, the Masters released their debut album, Bang Bang Boom Cake, which includes guest appearances from the Moldy Peaches’s Kimya Dawson, Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Fred Schneider of the B-52’s. And David Bowie is on record as describing them as a cross between New York ’70s noise duo Suicide and so-bad-they’re-great cult sister group the Shaggs. He concluded by calling them ”genius.”

”I thought that was amazing that David would even consider writing about us, or even think about us,” says Ivan, crunching on some Pez and sweeping his long hair out of his eyes as we stand on the pavement outside Piano’s, the small club where they’ll be playing this afternoon.

You call him David?

”Oh yeah, he’s my buddy,” he says, with sarcasm in his voice and a cheeky half-grin on his face. ”I call him Davey or Davo. He comes around to our place after school.” - Entertainment Weekly [READ MORE]

Artist: Tiny Masters Of Today
Album: Bang Bang Boom Cake
Label: Great Society
Street Date: September 25th, 2007
Formats: Amazon| iTunes | eMusic

Tiny Masters Of Today - “K.I.D.S.” [DOWNLOAD]

Tiny Masters Of Today - “Hey Mr. DJ” CSS Remix [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | YouTube | World’s Fair

First up though, a second show has been added to the BAM Kids Festival in Brooklyn this Sunday - as the 12pm show SOLD OUT, the 2:30pm show should make up for excess demand.

Mar 14 - 3:45P SXSW Girls Rock Camp @ Austin Java w/ Kitty, Daisy, & Lewis
Mar 15 - 5:30P SXSW MS.BEAS TODD P PARTY!!!! w/ Thurston Moore, Health, White Mice, Mika Miko, etc.
Mar 15 - 8:00P SXSW Indie 101.3 Show Cedar St. Courtyard w/ Place to Bury Strangers, Neon Neon (Gruff Rhys)

Tiny Masters Of Today - “K.I.D.S.” [DOWNLOAD]

Tiny Masters Of Today - “Hey Mr. DJ” CSS Remix [DOWNLOAD]

Artist: Tiny Masters Of Today
Album: Bang Bang Boom Cake
Label: Great Society
Street Date: September 25th, 2007
Formats: Amazon| iTunes | eMusic

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | YouTube | World’s Fair

LAIST: Why did you decide to make Stillwater, OK your base of operations, instead of say, London?

BritRoy: Stillwater is a perfect place to have a base as a band because it’s cheap, you can make lots of noise without disrupting anyone and there a few distractions. I think it would be near impossible to be in a band in London. I know people that do it there and their rehearsal space costs are astronomical and transporting gear around town is a complete nightmare. There are also too many fun things to do in London every day of the week. Therefore less writing music.

Piedmont Roy: Plus we can’t really speak the language over there in Europe. I don’t know how BritRoy is able to balance between two languages all the time. - Colourmusic interview @ LAist [READ MORE]

“Opening for British Sea Power, Colourmusic interspersed moments of Elephant 6-worthy pop bliss with a grab-bag of gimmicky bullshit: matching white track suits, an inter-song voice-over that noted the band’s Graceland influence (to which, thankfully, no one in the audience responded “Vampire Weekend!” Cheers, L.A.), and ADD-addled songs seemingly tailor-made for the next SpongeBob SquarePants soundtrack…” - The Rawking Refuses To Stop [MORE]

“The middle band of the night was the white clad Colourmusic. My guess is that one or all of these guys went to art school, because they were all dressed in identical white uniforms, hell, even their amps were white. At first I thought they were a bit goofy, as in between songs, they would have a recorded voice come on and talk about the bass part for the next song. But as their set wore on, I was smitten by their geeky, hyper grooves and the songs with two drummers, interesting to say the least.” - Finest Kiss [READ MORE]

Colourmusic - Various Tracks [LISTEN]

Colourmusic - “Yes!” [DOWNLOAD]

CONNECT: Website | Myspace | World’s Fair

Maggie Mae’s Rooftop Patio
323 E. 6th Street (21+)
Saturday, March 15th

1am British Sea Power [LISTEN]
12pm The Autumns [LISTEN]
11pm Colourmusic [LISTEN]

In addition, take note of the following opportunities to enjoy good music @ SXSW this year:

March 12th Robert Gomez @ Convention Center, 1pm

March 13th British Sea Power @ Rhapsody Rocks Austin @ Mohawk Bar (12:30pm) - RSVP Required
March 13th British Sea Power @ XFM UK acoustic session/interview @ venue TBA (3:30p)
March 13th Robert Gomez @ Spiro’s, 8pm
March 13th Juxcase w/ El, Del, Dizzee @ more @ The Scoot Inn, 9pm

March 14th British Sea Power @ Hot Freaks! @ Mohawk - Outside (5pm) - RSVP Required

March 15th British Sea Power @ DMX / Sonic Tap @ North Tent, Brush Square Park
March 15th Tiny Masters Of Today @ Indie 103.1 showcase,Cedar Street courtyard

CONNECT: World’s Fair

Very sad news from the Pela camp on the road…

Sliced Tendons and a Canceled Tour

We are writing to you as our van heads back to New York. Billy has already returned to New York via plane, and is preparing for surgery.

During last night’s show at Schuba’s in Chicago Billy fell off the stage, landing on a broken pint glass. This happened during the triumphant finale of the set; the stage was crowded with people dancing and singing to ‘Cavalry’, while a strobe light turned their vision into a cut screen movie. His left hand has a gash on the palm, and a deep slice in his pinky finger which also cut tendons.

We regrettably must announce that Schuba’s was the last night of the tour.

We promise to make up each and every show as soon as possible and apologize to everyone who purchased tickets. Arrangements are being made with all of the clubs on how best to handle the situation. We will have more information soon.

You can send your best wishes to billy@pelamusic.com

CONNECT: Website | World’s Fair News | Myspace