PANTHER is the two-headed effort of Charlie Salas-Humara (The Planet The) on vocals, cello, guitar, and keys and Joe Kelly (31 Knots) on drums. But even when it was Charlie’s solo effort he was never really alone. Whether live or on record there was a sense that PANTHER was being overtaken by something, not an alter-ego, this was something else. Think Ian Curtis’ convulsive intensity and James Browns spastic swagger and you still won’t have PANTHER, but a sense of what-the-fuckness that all of them seem to call up. The early recordings born in the basements and warehouses of Portland OR around 2001 brought a new brand of broken electro that when coupled with the lunatic immediacy of his modern dance meltdowns defied categorization entirely PANTHER landed on bills as varied as opening slots from PEACHES to WOLF EYES. The monstrous throb of the beats matched by Charlie’s intensity bring a sense of religious visitation to any room PANTHER humps the floor in. His panic-driven falsetto howling non-sequiturs about paranoid sexuality make his jams hysterical, compelling but most importantly danceable.

After several successful releases on indie labels Kimosciotic and Fryk Beat, the art galleries soon turned to sold out venues when PANTHER caught the attention of headliners like GOSSIP and RATATAT. And while touring in support of 2007’s epic and cheerfully damaged SECRET LAWNS Charlie realized he wanted to dance to a new beat. Soon after employing the ferocious drumming of Joe Kelly the HE became a THEY and on14 KT GOD (released Feb. 19 on Kill Rock Stars) contagious hooks and loops over crushing drums usher PANTHER into new and lucid songwriting territory, even hinting at the political with songs like “Violence, Diamonds” and “Beautiful Condo.” But just when things seem to be making sense the fever kicks in and everything suddenly unglues and before you know it you’re dancing to full blown anthems about sexual obsessiveness and airplane paranoia. Rest assured, PANTHER hasn’t calmed down in the slightest, they’re just poised and ready to pounce.

PANTHER

3/01 - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop - Noisepop
3/04 - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
3/06 - Portland, OR @ Holocene*
3/08 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Slowtrain
3/09 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
3/11 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory
3/12 - 3/15 Austin, TX SXSW
3/17 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon#
3/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn#
3/19 - Knoxville, TN @ Pilot Light
3/20 - Washington, DC @ Red and Black
3/21 - Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber
3/22 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory#
3/23 - Somerville, MA PA’s Lounge%
3/26 - Detroit, MI @ Scrummage University
3/27 - Chicago, IL @ Abbey Pub
3/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
3/29 - Fargo, ND @ Aquarium
4/18 - San Francisco, CA @ Fillmore $
4/19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Henry Fonda $

* = w/ Parenthetical Girls
# = w/ WHY?
% = w/ Citay, White Hinterland
$ = w/ The Gossip

There’s a flurry of activity in the Blitzen Trapper camp, as the band kicks off their expanded, expansive 2008 tour with Sub Pop labelmates Fleet Foxes this week. A full list of updated tour dates is included below, including shows with Grand Archives, Menomena, Dr. Dog, Man Man, Mahjongg and Matt Pond PA.

First up, on Tues. Feb. 19 (TODAY) Blitzen will release a new EP exclusively through iTunes, made up of live tracks, cover songs and one new exclusive track:

“Live/Acoustic EP” exclusively available on iTunes
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa
01. Wild Mountain Nation (Live on The Current)
02. Shady Grove [Traditional] (Live at Holocene)
03. Silver Moon (Live at Holocene)
04. The Last Thing on My Mind [Traditional]
05. Going Wrong

And just posted yesterday is the band’s second session for Daytrotter.com. Recorded last year during their tour with Two Gallants, the session features three previously unreleased tracks and one from Wild Mountain Nation. Blitzen Trapper and Fleet Foxes will also be doing a collaborative session with Daytrotter, to be recorded on this tour.

Daytrotter session track list:
www.daytrotter.com/article/1177/wild-is-just-the-start-a-utopian-riot

01.Big Adventure (previously unreleased)
02.Stolen Shoes and a Rifle (previously unreleased)
03.Preacher’s Sister’s Boy (previously unreleased)
04.Wolf And Warp of the Quiet Giant

And finally, there’s the tour-only CD EP that we told you about before, which now has a track list (featuring all previously unreleased studio recordings), and will only be available at the merch table on the band’s upcoming tour dates:

Blitzen Trapper 2008 Tour EP
01. Silver Moon
02. Going Down
03. Shoulder Full of You
04. Preacher’s Sister’s Boy
05. Black Rock
06. Big Black Bird

BLITZEN TRAPPER 2008 SPRING TOUR

2/22 Seattle, WA Univ. of Washington#
2/23 Portland, OR The Artistery
2/28 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill*
2/29 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour*+
3/01 San Diego, CA Casbah*+
3/02 Phoenix, AZ Modified*
3/04 Denton, TX Hailey’s*
3/05 Houston, TX Walter’s on Washington*
3/06 Hattiesburg, MS Thirsty Hippo*
3/07 Tallahassee, FL The Beta Bar*
3/08 Everglades National Park, FL Langerado Festival
3/09 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits*@
3/11 Birmingham, AL BottleTree*%
3/12 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon*$
3/13 - 3/15 Austin, TX SXSW
3/16 Norman, OK The Opolis*
3/17 Columbia, MO Mojos*&
3/18 Memphis, TN Hi Tone Cafe*
3/19 Nashville, TN Exit In*
3/20 Atlanta, GA Drunken Unicorn*
3/21 Columbia, SC New Brookland Tavern*
3/22 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle*
3/23 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506*
3/25 Washington, DC Black Cat Backstage*
3/26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s*
3/27 Cambridge, MA Middle East*
3/29 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
3/30 Worcester, MA Clark University*
4/01 Montreal, PQ La Salla Rossa*
4/02 Toronto, ON El Mocambo*
4/03 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place*
4/04 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop*
4/05 Detroit, MI The Magic Stick*
4/06 Chicago, IL Schubas*
4/08 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon*
4/09 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry*
4/10 Grinnell, IA Grinnell College*
4/11 Omaha, NE The Slowdown*
4/12 Lawrence, KS Jackpot*
4/14 Denver, CO Hi-Dive*
4/15 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge*
4/17 Vancouver, BC Media Club*
4/18 Seattle, WA Neumo’s*
4/19 Portland, OR Holocene*
4/26 Salem, OR Wulapalooza

# = w/ Menomena
* = w/ Fleet Foxes
+ = w/ Grand Archives
& = w/ Mahjongg
% = w/ Dr. Dog
$ = w/ Man Man
@ = w/ Matt Pond PA

www.blitzentrapper.net
www.myspace.com/blitzentrapper

IMEEM: http://profile.imeem.com/video/

In anticipation of the release of Devotion, their second full-length for Carpark Records, Baltimore recording artists Beach House (Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally) are proud to unveil their video for “You Came to Me,” directed by Baltimore underground film legend Skizz Cyzyk.

“You Came to Me” picks up where dreamy, atmospheric tracks like “Master of None” on their 2006 debut Beach House left off, and Skizz’s video brings the song to lush visual life — honoring the elegant, exuberant, and mysterious aspects of Beach House’s music while bringing to the forefront in fresh and off-kilter ways the playful visuals suggested by the duo’s sound and stage presence.

Set in the near-empty sanctuary of a sleepy, well-weathered Baltimore church that could double as the backdrop for a David Lynch film, “You Came to Me” as seen by Skizz becomes a shimmering sermon strummed on toy instruments to a temperamental goldfish; a song for which time takes on magical qualities through visual layering, quick pans of stained glass, and soft dissolves — and to which even a man on crutches must shake (or at least gingerly sway) his tail feathers.

BEACH HOUSE are an integral part of the thriving Baltimore music scene, and one of the most acclaimed indie artists to emerge in the last few years. Since forming in 2005 and hooking up with Carpark (home to fellow Baltimoreans DAN DEACON, ECSTATIC SUNSHINE, LEXIE MOUNTAIN BOYS, and WZT HEARTS), the duo quickly garnered national acclaim. Their self-titled 2006 debut record was named one of the Top 20 Albums of 2006 by Pitchfork Media, and that album’s “Apple Orchard” was named one of the site’s Top 10 Tracks of 2006.

Victoria and Alex have both been playing music since their (separate) childhoods in Baltimore, Philadelphia, and France. They cite THE ZOMBIES, BRIAN WILSON, NEIL YOUNG, BIG STAR, and CHRIS BELL as shared favorites, but no one artist or record stands as chief inspiration for their sound. Rather, by not forcing their songs to come to fruition prematurely, an otherworldly space is created: organs, slide guitars, reverb, harmony, accidents, echoes and melodies intermingle into a swirl of sound that conjures dreams of childhood and hot summer nights.

Director SKIZZ CYZYK’s past reads like a timeline of Baltimore’s secret subcultural history of the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond. Since 1983, he has directed over 50 short films, music videos, and features — including Youtube sensation Manager’s Corner and the full-length doc Little Castles, featuring John Waters. He also founded, directed, and programmed one of the world’s premiere underground film festivals, Baltimore’s MicroCineFest.

Skizz was the frontman and chief provocateur of Bmore outsider-music heroes Blister Freak Circus (think THE RESIDENTS, NEGATIVLAND, and THE SHAGGS — and think forthcoming career retrospective on Public Guilt Records), and beat the drums for ’90s indie act Berserk (who released the first full-length on Go-Kart Records). Currently, he is the drummer for psych-warped pop artists The Jennifers (inspired by THE KINKS, THE PRETTY THINGS, and THE FEELIES). Additionally, many of Cyzyk’s photographs of Baltimore and DC’s music scenes in the early 80s appeared in the recent documentary American Hardcore.

“You Came to Me” appears on DEVOTION, Beach House’s second full-length album, which will be released February 26, 2008 on Carpark Records. They embark on a tour of the United States beginning February 28th.

Beach House:
www.beachhousemusic.net
www.myspace.com/beachhousemusic
www.carparkrecords.com

Skizz Cyzyk:
www.skizz.net
www.youtube.com/eskayizezy
www.myspace.com/eskayizezy

BEACH HOUSE SPRING TOUR

02/28 Baltimore, MD Gspot
02/29 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
03/01 Atlanta, GA The Earl
03/02 Birmingham, AL BottleTree Cafe
03/03 Memphis, TN The Hi Tone Cafe
03/05 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
03/06 Houston, TX Walter’s on Washington
03/07 Austin, TX Emo’s
03/08 Denton, TX Hailey’s
03/10 Tucson, AZ Solar Culture
03/11 Phoenix, AZ Modified
03/12 San Diego, CA The Casbah
03/13 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
03/14 San Luis Obispo, CA Steynberg Gallery
03/15 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
03/17 Portland, OR Holocene
03/18 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
03/19 Vancouver, BC Media Club
03/21 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
03/22 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
03/24 Omaha, NE The Slowdown
03/25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
03/26 Chicago, IL Schubas
03/27 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
03/28 Toronto, ON El Mocambo
03/29 Montreal, PQ Casa del Popolo
03/30 Winooski, VT The Monkey House
03/31 Cambridge, MA The Middle East
04/02 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
04/03 Philadelphia, PA The Barbery
04/04 Washington, DC Rock and Roll Hotel

Press materials - www.carparkrecords.com/devotionpresspage.html

VIDEO: The Botticellis - “Stay With My Brother” - www.youtube.com/watch?v=bybEiEodNqk
MP3: The Botticellis - “Up Against The Glass” - www.antennafarmrecords.com

The Botticellis have an obsession with pop music, melodic songwriting and the cinematic sounds of yesteryear, but they’re not lost in some oldies Neverland. On Old Home Movies, out 5/13 on the Bay area label Antenna Farm, the quintet gives us ten luminous snapshots of sun-bleached memories. The vision is uniquely Californian, and while their music basks in the warmth of the Sunshine State personified by The Beach Boys, it’s also steeped in the shadows and queasy uncertainty of Raymond Chandler.

Old Home Movies is polished, orchestral, and surprisingly subtle, with a remarkably full and mature sound for such a young band. The classic, larger than life production is full of delicate flourishes; The Botticellis’ stylized sound echoes the production aesthetic of some of the great 70s pop records from Big Star, Chris Bell, and George Harrison. The band produced the album with the help of Anton Patzner (Bright Eyes) who played violin on “Who Are You Now,” Matt Cunitz, whose museum of vintage keyboards colors the music and Jason Quever (Papercuts), who played drums on “Flashlight” and helped capture the band’s balmy sound on analogue tape.

“Botticelli means ‘little barrel,’ a surf term Zack and I started using as kids for our favorite California wave,” lead vocalist Alexi Glickman explains. “When you’re inside a wave like that, you really understand the 60’s surf sound. I guess the feel of Old Home Movies is a bit of an homage to Greenough Vision.” The Botticellis began when Zack Ehrlich and Alexi Glickman met playing Suzuki violin duets in a southern California kindergarten class. They started writing songs together in grammar school and continued playing in bands together in high school and college. While studying music at UC Santa Cruz, they met lo-fi auteur, Burton Li, who helped produce an early album for the duo. Li soon joined the band and under the influence of his analogue obsessions, the three moved further up the California coast to San Francisco. Not long after, lyricist Blythe Foster and bass player Ian Nansen were pulled into the fold.

The ensemble now lives communally in San Francisco’s foggy Outer Richmond district, where they’ve been working on Old Home Movies for the past four years, refining their muzzy, slightly drugged out, psychedelic sound. The Botticellis’ debut promises to bring burnished, finely crafted pop to the people, filling the heads of their audience with vibrant memories and California day dreams.

THE BOTTICELLIS

2/16 Oakland, CA Mama Buzz (early all-ages show)
3/07 San Francisco, CA The Independent
3/13 - 3/15 Austin, TX SXSW
4/18 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord w/ The Papercuts

www.myspace.com/thebotticellis

www.thebotticellis.com

Press materials - www.antennafarmrecords.com/press/botticellis.htm