Augustines- "Nothing to Lose But Your Head"

Yesterday Augustines released the second piece of music off their forthcoming sophomore LP. We heard "Cruel City"(listen here) a month or so ago, now comes the new track "Nothing to Lose But Your Head."
The as of yet untitled album is scheduled for release this February 4th.

http://www.weareaugustines.com

Augustines-"Cruel City"

It really doesn't matter whether the name is Pela, We Are Augustines, or just Augustines, Billy McCarthy and Eric Sanderson have been longtime favorites here on the blog. After the split up of Pela around 2009 the band re-formed as We Are Augustines and released their triumphant debut disc, Rise Ye Sunken Ships, which just so happened to have nabbed my 2011 'best album of the year' honors. Drummer Rob Allen joined the guys soon after and they took to the road for most of 2011 and 2012 touring and gaining support for the new project. Almost two years later the band has another slight change, renaming themselves simply, Augustines, and a new LP on the way. They just unveiled a brand new track off it yesterday titled, "Cruel City." 
The as yet untitled LP has a due date of January 21st, 2014.

http://www.weareaugustines.com/

Thieving Irons- "So Long" (live session)

Former Pela guitarist, Nate Martinez has been prepping his sophomore effort under the Thieving Irons moniker. The album is slated for release sometime this year and so far the new project has given us a preview of the dreamy single, "So Long" from the forthcoming LP. Back in October during CMJ they stopped by the Ace Hotel in NYC to play an acoustic set for KEXP, which just got posted online. The band played three new songs including the aforementioned, "So Long." You can watch the whole session over on the KEXP blog, and if you head over to the Thieving Iron's website HERE you can pick up "So Long" as a free download. 
Also if your in the NYC area this month the band is playing a residency at the Rock Shop in Brooklyn on Monday nights, come and check them out.   

We Are Augustines- "Ballad of a Patient Man"

If your a regular reader of the blog you know how much we praised We Are Augustines for their brilliant, Rise Ye Sunken Ships. Not only did the band nail down our 'album of the year' honors in 2011, they also put on one of the best live shows I saw all year. If you've had the chance to catch the band live you have probably heard them play the song, "Ballad of a Patient Man" which doesn't appear on their LP. The guys recently stopped by the folks at Relix Magazine to perform the track, which hopefully one day might appear on an upcoming album.

(via Relix Magazine)

New Video: We Are Augustines- "Book of James"

One of my favorite tracks of the year from one of my favorite bands. We Are Augustines new video for "Book of James" off of their LP, Rise Ye Sunken Ships.  The song was the last song written for the album and is an emotional and touching track paying tribute to singer Billy McCarthy's brother who passed. The video was shot in and around NYC and was directed by Matthew Amato.   

We Are Augustines- "Book of James" acoustic

I've been a huge fan of these guys since their work in the now defunct Pela. Frontman Billy McCarthy and Bass player Eric Sanderson re-formed as We Are Augustines and their latest album Rise Ye Sunken Ships has been on repeat all Summer long into the Fall now. The LP is an emotional & heartfelt journey that allows a window into McCarthy's family tribulations with his younger brother James' addiction & mental illness, which is highlighted by the track "Book of James." McCarthy's writing is intimate yet raw, and the disc is a definite early contender for my Album of the Year.
I recently found this great acoustic version of the song, "Book of James" via the site ManchesterSceneWipe and wanted to share  it.

We Are Augustines - "Book Of James"

On a park bench sat a crimson beating heart

and behind him the girls played double dutch in the park

The sun began to burn his snow white skin

I guess your either headin' somewhere or endin up somewhere..

Storm clouds began to form in his head

and crisscrossed his mind like a restless angry ocean

And the howling of hardship and heartache

kneeled and grinned in his face

He stood there in his boots unable to move

And i came here to tell you that i love you

And here lies my green eyes

rolled back in my head, but they're alive

and all these words can all get spoken

just know we tried

and you're forgiven

He made his way down the boulevard

near the 99 cent stores and garbage in the yards

And he began sing

about the crickets and the backroads where we used to play

I guess your either headin' somewhere or endin up somewhere..

cause I tried the bible, tried the bottle, tried the needle, tried to

love people

And in the end there aint much to say

And in the end there aint much to say anyway

And i stand here in my shoes, unable to move

my hat in my hands, at the bottom of the ocean.

And here lies my green eyes

rolled back in my head but they're alive

and all the words can all get spoken

just know we tried

and you're forgiven

  Headlong Into The Abyss by We Are Augustines


For more info & tour dates visit http://www.weareaugustines.com/

Nate Martinez from Pela has new project: Thieving Irons

When one of my favorite bands, Pela disbanded in 2009 I was seriously bummed out, along with a lot of other fans of the band who believed they were on the cusp of blowing up. But in what could be the best news I've heard so far this 2010, comes word that guitarist Nate Martinez is readying his first solo project, called Thieving Irons. He's been in the studio finishing work on his debut, titled 'This Midnight Hum' with the help of some friends, Mike Brown, Dan Brantigan, Bryan Devendorf, Soda Gardocki, Jim Smith, and Zak Ward.

he just posted a demo of one of the new songs, "Ashes On The Riverbank" which sounds extremely promising, and you can give it a listen and download it here.

You can also check out some footage of him recording in the studio:


ThievingIrons.com

Pela calls it quits

In what's clearly the worst news I've heard all week, NYC band, Pela have called it a day. In a surprise move, the band issued a statement on their myspace this past Friday announcing the decision. No word as of yet as to what will happen to their new album that they had wrapped up this year, Rise Ye Sunken Ships. I really thought these guys were ready to blow up.

Here's the statement from the band ...."It is with great sadness that we write you today. Pela's collective journey has come to an end.

Over the past 2 years we've faced tremendous obstacles. We recorded an album twice, had a falling out/legal battle with our old label, fired 2 managers, had a big record deal fall through, and Billy had a hand injury followed by a foot injury.
We've worked tirelessly to get our music out of ourselves and into your ears. We worked endlessly to make the music and our live show the best we could. At the end of the day we had to start dealing with some realizations.
We will never be able to thank you enough for your support. For those of you that drove and flew hours just to see a show, we thank you. For those of you who wrote us and gave us the opportunity to get to know you, we thank you. For those of you who told us to keep soldiering on, we thank you. Words can't really describe how we're feeling about this difficult decision, but we want you to know that it's the healthiest decision we could make."

xoxo- Nate, Billy, Tom, and Eric

Pela-"Waiting On The Stairs" mp3

'Song of the Week': Pela-"Augustine"

Were just about at the halfway point in 2009, and I'm willing to bet that by years end you'll be hearing a lot more about the Brooklyn band, Pela. The band have a new album due in the next month or so, with an impending announcement as to the label and date that it will arrive on soon according to the band. The group has wrapped recording on, Rise Ye Sunken Ships, which they have been working on off and on since '07, later scrapping the sessions and starting fresh. The new album will follow up their outstanding 2007 CD, Anytown Graffiti, which features the tracks, "The Trouble With River Cities", "Tenement Teeth", and "Waiting on the Stairs."
The band was recently out in Seattle at radio station, KEXP, where they performed a special stripped down version of a new song, "Augustine." from the forthcoming disc.
Look for big things from these guys when the album drops.



From 2007's Anytown Graffiti

Waiting On The Stairs (Album Version) - Pela

Pela on myspace.

Pela: working on new album, add 1st shows of '09

We all know there are a ton of NYC & Brooklyn based bands that get over hyped. Here's one band that we think hasn't gotten enough play though from the hype machine, the NYC indie four piece Pela. The band's last disc, Anytown Graffiti was one of the best from 2007, and if you've had the chance to see the band live, then you already know about their energetic performances.
The band have been quiet for the last several months, as they are wrapping up recording their new album. But if your in the NYC area in March, you'll get to preview some of the new tracks, as the band just announced that they will be doing two shows at The Mercury Lounge, on March 3rd & 10th. No release date on the album as of yet, but we'll keep you posted. In the meantime you can preview some of Pela's music and live show below.

Waiting On The Stairs - Pela

The Trouble With River Cities ...

PELA Live @ Mercury NYC


Pela on myspace.

new unreleased song from Pela

Brooklyn's indie rockers Pela have made available a previously unreleased track titled "Good Foot On A Bad Doorstep", a B-side from their Anytown Graffiti album. The track was made available by Seatle radio station KEXP on their Bonus Song of The Day podcast, and you can listen to the track here.
According to lead singer Billy McCarthy ... "The song is about good old fashion infidelity and it folding back on the infidel. It was originally on banjo and didn’t make Anytown Graffiti. But we knew we’d release it some day".

In other news the band is set to head back out on tour now that Billy is fully recovered from fracturing his wrist months back in Chicago when he fell on a broken pint glass and had to require 45 stitches, cutting short the bands tour.

Upcoming dates:

May 19 ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL Washington, DC, Washington DC
May 20 BEACHLAND BALLROOM TAVERN Cleveland, Ohio
May 21 SCHUBA’S Chicago, Illinois
May 22 400 BAR Minneapolis, Minnesota
May 25 TRACTOR TAVERN Seattle, Washington
May 26 SASQUATCH! MUSIC FESTIVAL Quincy, Washington
May 27 DOUG FIR Portland, Oregon
May 28 BOTTOM OF THE HILL San Francisco, California
May 29 SPACELAND Los Angeles, California
May 31 LARIMER LOUNGE Denver, Colorado
Jun 2 THE BLUEBIRD St. Louis, Missouri
Jun 3 SUN STUDIO SESSION Memphis, Tennessee
Jun 6 BOWERY BALLROOM New York, New York
Jun 7 MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS Cambridge, Massachusetts

Pela - re scheduled shows

Brooklyn's own Pela who a few weeks back had to cancel their tour while in Chicago after lead singer Billy fell offstage and cut his palm and pinky finger on some broken glass, has begun to re-schedule some of it's cancelled tour dates.
The band who has come to be known for it's energy driven intense shows announced that Billy got his stiches out the other day and are ready to move fwd stating that almost all the cancelled dates have been re-worked.

Here's a live video off the band's myspace from the Mercury Lounge in NYC.
PELA Live @ Mercury NYC



-BTB