WATERS Plays Sold-Out Show at Webster Hall on March 29th / Live HearYa Session Tracks Posted as Free Download

DOWNLOAD: WATERS - "Take Me Out to the Coast"
DOWNLOAD: WATERS - "For the One" (Live HearYa Session)

On the heels of a European tour supporting Nada Surf, WATERS has announced their 2012 SxSW schedule. The band will perform eight times over four days at the Austin festival next week; a full schedule is below that offers ample opportunity to catch WATERS' blistering live show.

Today, HearYa blog posted their live session with WATERS, recorded in Chicago in late November during the band's tour supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Three live versions of debut LP Out In The Light (September 2011, TBD Records) tracks - "Take Me Out To The Coast", "Ones You Had Before", and "For The One" - can now be downloaded as free MP3s.

Before heading to Austin next week, WATERS will perform at the Clift Hotel in hometown San Francisco this Saturday night, March 10th, as part of the hotel's Clift Sessions presented by IAMSOUND series. The show is open to the public and free with RSVP (21+, doors 9pm, showtime 11pm). Following the band's SxSW run, they will hit the road to support Delta Spirit beginning March 19th in Little Rock, AR, and running through May 12th in Solano Beach, CA. The tour includes a sold out show at Webster Hall in New York, NY, on March 29th.

WATERS tour dates:
MAR. 14 -- AUSTIN, TX -- BREW EXCHANGE
(Satellite LA and Popantipop present Seanow! - 5:30pm set)
MAR. 14 -- AUSTIN, TX -- RED7
(Sony Electronics/RED Official Showcase - 9:30pm set)
MAR. 15 -- AUSTIN, TX -- BEAUTY BAR
(HearYa presents SxSWeetland - 2:25pm set)
MAR. 15 -- AUSTIN, TX CHEERS
(The Treehouse Diddly - 5:45pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- PECKERHEADS
(My Old Kentucky Blog Party - 2pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- W HOTEL
(Nylon Magazine Party - 5:30pm set)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- HGTV STUDIO
(HGTV Official Showcase - 9pm set)
MAR. 17 -- AUSTIN, TX -- PECKERHEADS
(Baeble Music Party - 5pm set)
MAR. 19 -- LITTLE ROCK, AR -- REVOLUTION MUSIC ROOM*
MAR. 20 -- ST. LOUIS, MO -- THE OLD ROCK HOUSE*
MAR. 21 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- FINE LINE MUSIC CAFÉ*
MAR. 22 -- MILWAUKEE, WI -- TURNER HALL*
MAR. 23 -- CHICAGO, IL -- METRO*
MAR. 24 -- INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- RADIO RADIO*
MAR. 26 -- CLEVELAND, OH -- BEACHLAND BALLROOM*
MAR. 27 -- BOSTON, MA -- PARADISE ROCK CLUB*
MAR. 29 -- NEW YORK, NY -- WEBSTER HALL* (SOLD OUT)
MAR. 30 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER*
MAR. 31 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- 9:30 CLUB*
APR. 2 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA-- JEFFERSON THEATER*
APR. 3 -- CARRBORO, NC -- CAT'S CRADLE*
APR. 4 -- ASHEVILLE, NC -- GREY EAGLE TAVERN*
APR. 6 -- NASHVILLE, TN -- CANNERY BALLROOM*
APR. 7 -- ATLANTA, GA -- THE MASQUERADE (Hell Stage)*
APR. 9 -- BIRMINGHAM, AL -- WORKPLAY THEATER*
APR. 10 -- NEW ORLEANS, LA -- ONE EYED JACKS*
APR. 12 -- HOUSTON, TX -- FITZGERALD'S (Upstairs)*
APR. 13 -- AUSTIN, TX -- EMO'S EAST*
APR. 14 -- DALLAS, TX -- GRANADA THEATRE*
APR. 30 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- URBAN LOUNGE*
MAY 1 -- BOULDER, CO -- FOX THEATRE*
MAY 2 -- BOISE, ID -- THE NEUROLUX*
MAY 4 -- SEATTLE, WA -- NEUMO'S*
MAY 5 -- PORTLAND, OR -- WONDER BALLROOM*
MAY 6 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- ELECTRIC OWL*
MAY 8 -- SACRAMENTO, CA -- ACE OF SPADES*
MAY 10 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- FILLMORE*
MAY 11 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE MUSIC BOX (Henry Fonda Theater)*
MAY 12 -- SOLANO BEACH, CA -- BELLY UP*
* supporting Delta Spirit

Links:
WATERS

WATERS (ex-Port O'Brien) - Live Photos and Review, Webster Hall, NYC 12-7-11

I think I made a mistake not seeing WATERS when they came through in both June and October for shows at Mercury Lounge. In a live setting, the band’s songs have a raw energy that wasn’t fully captured on the band’s debut CD and frontman Van Pierszalowski plays guitar with an intensity that reminds me of Evan Dando when The Lemonheads were first starting out.







The band stuck primarily to the upbeat, guitar and drums powered rock numbers from their recently released debut album, Out in the Light, but slowed things down toward the end of their set when Van doned an acoustic guitar.



While the band held the attention of the sold-out crowd, the energy behind the songs would have turned the room into a communal sing-along in a smaller space. Perhaps thinking the same thing, Van and band unplugged and took their instruments into the center of the crowd to play their final song, “Mickey Mantle”, acoustically. Reminding me a bit of the Port O’Brien shows of yesteryear, before starting the song, Van coached the crowd to sing along on the chorus.

WATERS canceled its European tour due to health reasons but have a month of dates booked in Europe for next February with Nada Surf.

Feb 7 - King Tuts Glasgow, UK ^
Feb 8 - KOKO London, UK^
Feb 10 - Melkweg Amsterdam, NL ^
Feb 11 - Le Splendid Lille, FR^
Feb 12 - AB Box Brussels, BE^
Feb 14 - La Bataclan Paris, FR ^
Feb 15 - Le Krakatoa Bordeauxm FR ^
Feb 16 - Le Bikini Toulouse, FR^
Feb 18 - La Riviera Madrid, SP^
Feb 19 - Apolo Barcelona, SP ^
Feb 20 - Le Transbordeur, FR ^
Feb 22 - Posthof Linz, AUT^
Feb 23 - Bloom Club Milan, IT^
Feb 24 - Komplex Zurich, SWI ^
Feb 25 - Backstage Werk Munich, GER ^
Feb 26 - Huxleys Berlin, GER ^
Feb 27 - Markthalle Hamburg, GER ^
Feb 28 - Live Music Hall Cologne, GER ^
^ w/ Nada Surf

Links:
WATERS

Waters (ex-Port O'Brien) - "Out In The Light" CD Review (TBD Records)

DOWNLOAD: Waters - "For The One" (from Out in the Light)

Waters is the new project from ex-Port O'Brien front man Van Pierszalowski. Following the demise of that band last year, he took a break from making music and ended up living in Oslo, Norway. After some time off, he began writing again, then traveled most of the next year to Alaska, California, and Brooklyn, NY, before returning to Oslo to record the album with a band he put together.

The new album, Out in the Light (out Sept. 20th on TBD Records), has a louder, fuller, more aggressive and raw sound than anything he's written before. Out in the Light was recorded during a focused ten day session in Dallas with John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions In The Sky, The Walkmen) who captured the raw intimacy and intensity of both the band’s noise pop and stripped-down numbers.

Musically, Out in the Light sounds like something from the early 90’s as there are elements of Matthew Sweet style fuzzed-out Byrdsian power-pop (“Abridge My Love”, “San Francisco”), Sonic Youth style grunge (“For the One”, “Back To You”) and lo-fi, alt-rock sing-alongs (“Take Us Out to the Coast”). Breaking from this comparison though are a couple Neil Young style stripped-down numbers (“Ones You Had Before”, “Mickey Mantle”).



This seems to have been a cleansing album for Van as his lyrics focus around tales of loss, regret and heartbreak. Beneath the heartbreak though, there seems to be new energy as upbeat portions of the disc bristle with blustery energy. While this record seems to be an introspective look back, Van said: "[t]he record is about waking up. It is about getting out of a situation that seems endless, and realizing you're not too old to make dramatic and sudden changes in your life. It is about starting over.”

Waters will head out on a quick run of west coast headlining shows next week. Next month, the band - who toured with The Joy Formidable, Vetiver, and Mister Heavenly in August - will head to the east coast for a handful of shows beginning October 16th at the Northstar Bar in Philadelphia, PA. A current itinerary is below and more shows will be announced shortly.

Waters Tour Dates:
SEPT. 20 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- ORIGAMI VINYL (free in-store)
SEPT. 21 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE SATELLITE
SEPT. 23 -- SANTA BARBARA, CA -- MUDDY WATERS
SEPT. 24 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- THE INDEPENDENT
SEPT. 25 -- SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA -- SLO BREWING COMPANY
OCT. 16 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- NORTHSTAR BAR
OCT. 18 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- RED PALACE
OCT. 19 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 20 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 21 -- NEW YORK, NY -- CMJ
OCT. 22 -- BOSTON, MA -- GREAT SCOTT

Links:
Waters

White Rabbits are Playing All Points West on Saturday Afternoon / Listen to Recent Live Studios Sessions

In advance of White Rabbits performance this Saturday at All Points West (1:10PM set time), I wanted to post some recent live sessions by the band.

The streaming audio (above) is from 89.3 FM Minneapolis Public Radio and it includes live versions of "The Saleman," "Percussion Gun," "Rudie Fails," and "The Lady Vanishes".

The videos below are from the band's recent KEXP session.

White Rabbits - "The Salesman"


White Rabbits - "Percussion Gun"


White Rabbits - "Foxhunting"


Links:
White Rabbits' Website