LOS ANGELES (Birdmonster Website) - A rowdy mix of radio-friendly rock, jangly ho-downs and epic freakouts, Birdmonster's debut full-length, NO MIDNIGHT, will be released August 29. The San Francisco foursome kicked off their national headlining tour in
Boston earlier this week. This follows a tour with '70s punk throwbacks Art Brut and a performance at Bay Area rock station, Live 105's "BFD," where the band headlined the local stage. Add to this that influential radio stations Seattle-based KEXP and Ohio-based WOXY are currently showing the band a lot of love by playing several tracks from the album, and it's evident that 2006 could be the year of the Birdmonster.
NO MIDNIGHT, recorded at breakneck speed in a Los Angeles studio with producer/ mixer Brad Cook (Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age), captures the band's urgency and spontaneity with exciting results. "We wanted to have every single note, everything that was played, have as much heart as possible," singer Peter Arcuni explains. "We'd rather it sound interesting and live than polished and perfect." At times blending Springsteen-style earnestness with driving guitars and healthy doses of snarl and twang, the 13 tracks span the gamut, showcase each member's diverse influences and achieves what Arcuni, guitarist David Klein, bassist Justin Tenuto and drummer Zach winter set out to accomplish.
From the revenge epic "Balcony," the high-powered, drink-your-cares-away dance punk of "'Cause You Can" to the rollicking "The Bar in the Back of the Basement," and the ramshackle alt-county narrative of "All the Holes in the Walls," it's an album filled with twists and turns both from song to song but also within the songs themselves. Title track, "No Midnight," for example, begins subtlety enough with finger-picked front porch banjo and slowly strummed acoustic guitar and ends with a rocking hoedown with Arcuni yelping repeatedly, "Alone with my baby one more time."
Word has quickly spread about the band's phenomenal performances, which has led to sharing stages with an impressive list of musicians such as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, The National and Tapes 'n' Tapes. This past December, Birdmonster grabbed top honors at a battle of the bands held by the aforementioned Bay Area rock station Live 105, which earned them the opening spot at the station's "Not So Silent Night" holiday concert featuring the White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie and Hot Hot Heat.
The online community has especially embraced the band with influential music websites like Music For Robots, Gorilla vs. Bear and Largehearted Boy all touting Birdmonster as one of their favorite new acts.
CATCH BIRDMONSTER ON TOUR
June 15 Columbus, Ohio @ Bernie's Distillery
June 17 Cleveland, Ohio @ Pirate's Cove - CMJ Rock Hall Musicfest
June 18 Chicago, Ill. @ The Hideout
June 20 St. Louis, Mo. @ Off Broadway
June 21 Nashville, TN @ The Exit-In
June 23 Cincinnati, Ohio @ The Comet
June 25 Charlotte, N.C. @ Tremont Music Hall
June 28 Relative Theory Records @ Norfolk, Va.
June 29 Baltimore, Md. @ Sonar
June 30 Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Sin-E
July 1 New York, N.Y. @ The Knitting Factory (tap bar)
July 15 San Francisco, Calif. @ Bottom of the Hill
