XTRA MILE AT SxSW - AGAINST ME!, TO KILL A KING, NORTHCOTE, CHEAP GIRLS

Xtra Mile Recordings and SxSW go together like mom's apple pie and ice cream.In that spirit, we can announce that Against Me!, To Kill A King, Northcote, and Cheap Girls are all playing the festival this week.

For all you ridiculously lucky hard-working and deserving individuals going to Austin, Texas for the wonderful SxSW festival, here's a quick guide to Xtra Mile's excellent additions to this labyrinthine bill of bands and music.

Against Me!

12 March - Hype Hotel @ 5pm
12 March - Red 7 Patio @ 7.30pm (Brooklyn Vegan show)

To Kill A King

13 March - Swan Dive indoor stage @ 7.30pm

Northcote

13 March - Omni Downtown @ 7pm
14 March - Creekside at Hilton Garden Inn @ 9pm

Cheap Girls

Mar 12  SXSW at The Liberty @ 7pm
Mar 12  SXSW at Red 7 w/ Against Me! @ 7.30pm (Brooklyn Vegan show)

So, make sure these are on your schedule, go see them and then tell us on Facebook or Twitter (or both!) about how much fun you had. We like to know. Don't do all the things we wouldn't do, or anything!

PRE-ORDER CHEAP GIRLS' NEW ALBUM 'FAMOUS GRAVES' OUT 12 MAY 2014

There's an excellent chance Michigan power pop 3-piece Cheap Girls are your favourite band's favourite band. Tapped to tour with everyone from The Gaslight Anthem, to their upcoming spring tour dates with Against Me! and The Hold Steady, it's apparent that Cheap Girls fans carry some serious clout right down to their upcoming SXSW appearances - all tour dates are listed below.

Digital pre-orders for the album are available at iTunes and at our very own digital shop.

Cheap Girls have shared in-the-studio photos from their recording sessions with US site BrooklynVegan who have run the exclusive photos and spoken with singer/bassist Ian Graham about the new record, label and what 2014 has in-store for Cheap Girls.  Read the interview and check out the photos.

Photo by Lance Nelson

Famous Graves was recorded in Chicago and Grand Rapids by Rick Johnson (who recorded Cheap Girls' first two records, 2008's Find Me a Drink Home & 2009's My Roaring 20's) and Jeff Dean (The Bomb, Dead Ending, All Eyes West). Recorded over 3 months, the band self-produced the record and mixed it with the assistance of Dean.  The follow-up to their 2012 release Giant Orange, Famous Graves sees the band continuing to grow their authentic Midwestern rock that's drawn comparisons to bands such as The Lemonheads, The Replacements, and early Smoking Popes.

Tour Dates:

MARCH
09 Omaha, NE at the Slowdown^
10 Columbia, MO at the Blue Note^
12 SXSW @ Brixton Agency/Run For Cover Records Day Party @ The Liberty
12 SXSW @ BrooklynVegan Official Showcase @ Red 7 Patio
13 Mcallen, TX at Cine El Rey^
15 Corpus Christi, TX at House of Rock^
16 Houston, TX at Fitzgerald’s^
18 San Antonio, TX at Backstage Live^
19 Dallas, TX at Gas Monkey^
21 Denver, CO at the Summit Music Hall^
22 Salt Lake City, UT at Murray Theatre^
23 Reno, NV at Knitting Factory^
24 Portland, OR at Hawthorne Theatre^
25 Seattle, WA at Neptune Theatre^
26 Vancouver, BC at Commodore Ballroom^
28 Edmonton, AB at Starlite Room^
29 Calgary, AB at Republik^
30 Regina, SK at Exchange^

APRIL
01 Winnipeg, MB at West End Culture Center^
02 Minneapolis, MN at First Avenue^
03 Madison, WI at the Majestic Theatre^
04 Palatine, IL at Durty Nellie’s^
05 Indianapolis, IN at the Vogue^
06 Asheville, NC at the Orange Peel^
07 Washington, D.C. at the 9:30 Club*
08 Buffalo, NY at the Town Ballroom* 
09 Toronto, ON at the Phoenix Concert Theatre* 
11 Albany, NY at the Hollow* 
12 Pawtucket, RI at the Met Cafe* 

^ = w/ Against Me!, Laura Stevenson & the Cans
* = w/ The Hold Steady

AGAINST ME! EUROPEAN TOUR AND FESTIVALS ANNOUNCED!

Following the release of their heralded new album, Transgender Dysphoria Blues, Against Me! bring their blistering punk rock anthems to Europe this summer on a string of tour dates and festival appearances as well as a couple of shows with Bad Religion in Spain.

Photo by Ryan Russell

The list of shows is as follows:

MAY

31 Huenexe, Germany @ Ruhrpott Rodeo

JUNE

01  Aarschott, Belgium @ JH Klinker
03 Prague, Czech Republic @ Lucerna Music Bar
04 Hamburg, Germany @ Knust
05 Berlin, Germany @ Lido
06  Dresden, Germany @ Beatpol
08-09 Germany @ Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park 
10 Vienna, Austria @ Arena
11 Dornbirn, Austria @ Conrad Sohm
12 Bern, Switzerland @ Reitschule
13 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg @ Den Atelier
14 Ysselsteyn, Holland @ Jera On Air Festival
17 Madrid, Spain @ Sala Riviera (with Bad Religion)
18 Barcelona, Spain @ Sala Razzmatazz (with Bad Religion)
19 Vitoria, Spain @ Sala Jimmy Jazz

Further shows will be announced so keep your eyes open. Ticket links (where available) can be reached by clicking on the venue names above.

Listen to and purchase the album via iTunes or get a physical copy from Xtra Mile

‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues’ is the intense follow-up to the band’s previous full-length album, ‘White Crosses’ (reissued with bonus disc 'Black Crosses' on Xtra Mile Recordings in 2011) and stands as another major benchmark for the band's career, spanning 10+ years. Recorded at Studio 606, Earth Sound Studio, Motor Studio, Total Treble Studio and mixed by Billy Bush (Garbage, Muse, Tegan and Sara), 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' is an insightful and highly-provocative 10-song offering written by front woman Laura Jane Grace, whose material examines one’s grappling with gender dysphoria, the loss of a young friend and pure self-discovery, as well as love and ultimate acceptance. Featuring Grace’s signature, explicit songwriting and dominant vocals, the album also features long time guitarist/vocalist James Bowman, drummer Atom Willard and Fat Mike of NOFX on bass for ‘FUCKMYLIFE666’ and ‘Unconditional Love’.

‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues' is available worldwide at iTunes and all good record store outlets.

www.againstme.net  /  facebook.com/againstme  / @LauraJaneGrace

DRAG THE RIVER MAY 2014 CANADIAN (+ BUFFALO, NY) TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED

Drag the River are set to play a handful of dates in Canada, plus a stop in Buffalo, NY, before hitting several spots in Ontario and a gig in Montreal. The glorious tour poster below reveals all.

For those who aren't familiar with Jon Snodgrass and Chad Price's efforts, listen and buy here.

http://www.dragtheriver.com/  www.facebook.com/dragtheriver

BEANS ON TOAST TO RELEASE RECORD STORE DAY 10" // LIVE AT RISE RECORDS AND CLWB IFOR BACH

Loveable maverick Beans on Toast has announced the release of a very unusual limited edition vinyl, especially for 2014’s Record Store Day, April 19. In what is arguably the world’s smallest ever Best Of collection, the 10” vinyl pressing of Best Of Toast will feature one track from each of Beans’ albums to date. Hand numbered, individually signed and limited to 300 copies, these records are highly collectable.

Photo by Hill and Aubrey

Ahead of the release, you can stream the track ‘Can’t Take Another Earthquake’ featuring Bastille’s Dan Smith and Kate Tempest, with production by Frank Turner here.

Never knowingly underworked, Beans on Toast will also play at all three Rise Records locations - Bristol, Cheltenham and Worcester - plus an evening headline show at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach, all in the space of Record Store Day itself.

The Rise shows will see Beans in slightly more modest surrounds, coming as they do off the back of a support slot on label-mate and good friend Frank Turner’s recent UK arena tour (including London 02 arena). The RSD vinyl release follows the Radio 1 Punk Show-supported recent single ‘Keep You’ (out now), taken from the album 'Giving Everything'  released in December 2013.

Track Listing:

1. Mdmamazing – taken from ‘Standing On A Chair’ (2009) produced by Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons

2. Price of Rice (feat. Emmy The Great) – taken from ‘Standing On A Chair’

3. Old Grunge feat. Handshake – taken from ‘Writing On A Wall’ (2010) produced by Ian Grimble

4. Can’t Take Another Earthquake (feat. Dan Smith of Bastille & Kate Tempest) – taken from ‘Trying To Tell The Truth (2011) produced by Frank Turner

5. Beer & Burger – taken from ‘Fishing For A Thank You’ (2012)

6. Things – taken from ‘Giving Everything’ (2012) produced by Mike Freear of Slamboree

Live dates below:

19 APRIL - RECORD STORE DAY

Bristol @ Rise Records – 11am (instore show)
Cheltenham @ Rise Records – 1pm (instore show)
Worcester @ Rise Records – 3pm (instore show)
Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach – 7.30pm doors - tickets here  (£8 + booking fee)

www.beansontoastmusic.com  / www.facebook.com/beansontoastmusic www.youtube.com/beansontoasttube / Twitter - @beanstoast

OXYGEN THIEF TO RELEASE NEW ACOUSTIC EP ON 24 MARCH // NEW SOLO AND FULL-BAND TOUR DATES

Oxygen Thief returns to his acoustic roots with new 5-track EP One Day This Will All Be Fields released through Xtra Mile Recordings on 24th March 2014.

Following his first full-band release Accidents Do Not Happen, They Are Caused in December 2013, Barry Dolan (AKA Oxygen Thief) has switched to his previous (dis)comfort zone of "one man genre" aggressive acoustic riffery. Armed with over an album's worth of new songs, he chose five to lead the charge ahead of a full record, likely to follow in the summer.

“Some of the tracks will end up being re-interpreted by the band in the same way that older ones were for ADNHTAC, while the rest will only be on the EP. In a way, I see the acoustic recordings as being the ‘proper’ versions of the songs, and anything we do with them later on will be embellishments. When we started the band, we agreed that I wouldn’t change anything about the way I wrote; all the songs would start out solo acoustic, I’d perform and record them that way, and we would then see where switching to electric guitar would take them.”

— Barry Dolan

Those buying the CD edition, or downloading directly from Xtra Mile Recordings, will receive two bonus tracks - a cover of 'Suckerpunch' by The Wildhearts ("my favourite song ever, containing my favourite riff ever" - Barry) and live favourite 'On Your Easy Marks, Get Set, Go', a tale of political frustration and ideological betrayal in the form of a furious singalong.

The new EP was recorded at The Old Blacksmith's Studios, where the full-band mini-album was birthed. It's a contrast from the early days of recording solo at home, the preferred studio for the three-way split EP ('!@*#' or 'Exclamation At Asterisk Hash') in 2009 with Ben Marwood and Jim Lockey, and Oxygen Thief's first foray with Xtra Mile. Since that frothing introduction, Barry has taken his furious steel-string slashing on tour with Frank Turner, Jamie Lenman, Ben Marwood, Jonah Matranga and punctuated festival lineups at T in the Park, 2000Trees and ArcTanGent.

Oxygen Thief has also announced a prized support slot, with full-band, for InMe in May, to add to Barry's solo shows in March and April.

InMe dates

MAY
09 Southampton @ Talking Heads
10 Plymouth @ White Rabbit
11 Bristol @ The Fleece
12 Birmingham @ The Flapper
13 Nottingham @ Rock City
14 Glasgow @ Audio
15 Sheffield @ Corporation
16 Manchester @ Sound Control
17 London @ Islington Academy

@oxygenthiefyeah / www.facebook.com/oxygenthief666 / www.oxygenthiefmusic.com