Stranded In Stereo: Rogue Wave Back At The 'Gate,' Announce Tour

Monday, August 20, 2007

Rogue Wave Back At The 'Gate,' Announce Tour

When I was at SXSW last year, I spent Saturday afternoon watching Rogue Wave for the second time. The night before, I saw them headline the Sub Pop showcase (the same one that introduced me to Flight Of The Conchords,) but that afternoon they played an acoustic set at the Day Stage at the convention center. It was a completely different experience from the rock show the night before; their might of been one song or two that was played in both sets. I was just happy to hear them do "Nourishment Nation."

Afterwards, they did a signing and I talked with them for a brief moment asking what their plans were. They were going to go back on the road, but it seems they wanted to take a break instead. That was 17 months ago and since then, lead singer Zach Rogue became a father, guitarist Gram LeBron lost his brother, former bassist Evan Farrell left, and we all know about drummer Pat Spurgeon and his dire need of a kidney.

Doesn't seem like there was much of a break these last 17 months, but the band prevailed, got a new bassist in the form of Beulah's Patrick Abernathy, and have made another classic album. Out September 18th on Brushfire Records, Asleep At Heaven's Gate finds the Wave sailing uncharted territories. Of the dozen songs on the album, half of them go well over 5 minutes, including the abrasive opener "Harmonium," and the immaculate duet "Chicago X 12" with Matthew Caws of Nada Surf. On first listen, I didn't get the record: it didn't sound like Rogue Wave, there was no "Bird On A Wire," and I was held up after "Lake Michigan." I tried again 24 hours later, and it had connected with me. The back half alone is so spooky, so eerie (see: "Ghost," "Missed," even the near funky rock of "Phonytown.") You can tell that all the events mentioned above made this album what it is. Besides it being a phenomenal piece of music for the fall, I'm just happy to hear Roger Moutenot producing something other than Yo La Tengo.

After a few dates supporting Feist right before the album's release, the band will go coast to coast in October.

Tour Dates:
9/9/07: Burlington, VT: Flynn Theatre *
9/11/07: Baltimore , MD: Ram’s Head Live *
9/12/07: Upper Darby, PA: Tower Theatre *
9/13/07: Pittsburgh PA: Carnegie Music Hall *
9/14 /07: Grantham, PA: Messiah College *
9/15/07: Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan Theatre *
10/10/07: The Casbah: San Diego, CA
10/11/07: El Rey Theatre: Los Angeles, CA
10/12/07: Bimbo’s 365 Club: San Francisco, CA
10/15/07: Wonder Ballroom: Portland, OR
10/16/07: Neumo’s: Seattle, WA
10/19/07: Bluebird Theatre: Denver, CO
10/20/07: The Bottleneck: Lawrence, KS
10/21/07: The Waiting Room: Omaha, NE
10/23/07: 400 Bar: Minneapolis, MN
10/24/07: Double Door: Chicago, IL
10/26/07: Mod Club: Toronto ON, Canada
10/27/07: Cabaret Music Hall: Montreal QC, Canada
10/29/07: Iron Horse Music Hall: Northampton, MA
10/30/07: Paradise Rock Club: Boston, MA
11/01/07: The Bowery Ballroom: New York, NY
11/02/07: Maxwell’s: Hoboken, NJ
11/03/03: Johnny Brenda’s: Philadelphia, PA
11/05/07: Black Cat: Washington, DC
11/06/07: Satellite Ballroom: Charlottesville, VA
11/08/07: The Earl: Atlanta, GA
11/09/07: Mercy Lounge: Nashville, TN
11/10/07: The Bottletree: Birmingham, AL
*w/Feist

Download: "Lake Michigan" [mp3] // [Buy Here]

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