BEANS ON TOAST - 'THE NEXT ALBUM TOUR 2014' WINTER UK DATES

Drunk folk singer, barefoot troubadour and cult legend Beans on Toast has been around the block more times than he cares to remember. Thankfully though, with his unique blend of simple songs and no holds barred quick wit, he is an act that is anything but tired.

Photo by Hill and Aubrey.

With a fresh spring in his step after an incredible start to the year, which saw him conquer his first American headline tour, play a series of shows with Flogging Molly in the US and perform to over 40,000 people in just one week whilst opening Frank Turner’s UK Arena tour in February, Beans On Toast will be heading back onto the UK live circuit for 16 dates across the country ending with his biggest headline show to date at Electric Ballroom, Camden. 

Marking the release of his sixth studio album with Xtra Mile Recordings, as is tradition on his 1st December birthday, ‘The Next Album Tour 2014’ will be an unforgettable experience as the singer, storyteller and guitar player’s self-deprecating nature goes a long way to break down the barriers between musician and audience, creating a real sense of equality. 

With digital single ‘Keep You’ added to the XFM Evening Playlist at the start of the year, a ‘Best of Toast Pressed on Vinyl’ flying off the shelves for Record Store Day and his busiest upcoming festival season yet, anything is now possible for this unmissable performer.

Tickets will go on sale Friday 9th May at 9am via www.beansontoastmusic.com. Dates are listed below, or on a lovely poster, if you prefer, just below that.

NOVEMBER
20 Aberdeen @ The Lemon Tree
21 Glasgow @ Nice N Sleazy
22 Edinburgh @ Voodoo Room
24 Newcastle @ The Cluny
25 Hull @ Fruit
26 Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
27 Manchester @ The Ruby Lounge
28 Liverpool @ The Shipping Forecast
29 Nottingham @ Rescue Rooms

DECEMBER
03 Birmingham @ Hare & Hounds
04 Cambridge @ Junction 2
05 Bristol @ The Fleece
06 Exeter @ The Phoenix
09 Portsmouth @ Wedgewood Rooms
10 Brighton @ The Haunt
11 London @ Electric Ballroom

“One of the most controversial acts in the whole festival. But behind the humour there are serious political messages of equality and general respect for one another.” CLASH 

“His modern take on traditional folk music is clever, heart warming and keeps me coming back for more.” RUCKUS            

“Spontaneity and tongue in cheeky impertinence produce a joyous feel and a wonderful thing called fun!” AMERICANA UK

beansontoastmusic.com / facebook.com/beansontoastmusic / youtube.com/beansontoasttube
@beanstoast

CRAZY ARM MAY 2014 UK AND EUROPEAN TOUR WITH LARRY AND HIS FLASK

Devon roots-punks, Crazy Arm, head out on tour with Oregon punk-grass quintet, Larry & His Flask, this month, taking in UK and mainland Europe dates with a couple of headliners for good measure.

The tour starts at Groezrock festival in Belgium - one of the major punk festivals of the year - comes back to the UK for a week and then heads across to the mainland again for a final fling with the Flask.

The band will be doing combo shows, combining the acoustic-roots songs from their latest album, The Southern Wild, with their trademark Bad-Religion-meets-Baroness-meets-Wovenhand-meets-Jethro-Tull rock onslaught.

All Crazy Arm dates are below.

MAY

03 Meerhout, Belgium @ Groezrock Festival
04 Bamberg, Germany @ Freiraum
07 London, UK @ The Borderline
08 Southampton, UK @ Unit
09 Newport, UK @ Le Pub
10 Harlow, UK @ The Square
11 Newcastle, UK @ Cluny 2
12 Manchester, UK @ Star & Garter
13 Brighton, UK @ Prince Albert
18 Leuven, Belgium @ Sojo (without LAHF)
20 Berlin, Germany @ Auster Club
21  Kiel, Germany @ Schaubude
22 Osnabrück, Germany @ Freiraum Petersburg (without LAHF)
23 Deventer, Netherlands @ Burgerweeshuis
30 Bristol, UK @ The Exchange (w/Joe Tilston + Jake & The Jellyfish)
31  London @ Camden Rocks, Black Heart (w/Apologies I Have None + more

You can also look at the pretty poster below.

Crazy Arm are currently working on songs for their fourth album, tentatively titled Brave Starts Here.

facebook.com/thecrazyarm / Bandcamp

CHRIS T-T ANNOUNCES MORE EUROPEAN SHOWS AND NEW SINGLE 'A BEATEN DRUM' OUT 16 JUNE 2014

Chris T-T extends his tour of Europe this spring with a run of dates with the fantastic Mark McCabe. They will follow on from the tour already announced supporting the wonderful Emily Barker. Expect live solo performances of material from latest opus The Bear as well as a selection from across his vast repertoire. All dates are below.

To coincide with the tours, Chris will release the stunning digital single ‘A Beaten Drum’ on 16 June 2014 featuring a mesmeric piano version and the full album version of the song alongside an improvisational piano version of ‘Tunguska’ as b-sides.

Check out the video here and tour dates are below: 

Chris T-T releases the digital single 'A Beaten Drum' on 16th June 2014 - taken from his acclaimed album 'The Bear' out now on Xtra Mile Recordings. Buy here: smarturl.it/qc8qan or here: http://bit.ly/1iC8pPI Chris heads to Europe in May to tour with Emily Barker and then with Mark McCabe.

WITH EMILY BARKER

MAY
03 Germany @ Köln, Stadtgarten Studio
14 Germany @ Stuttgart, Keller Klub
15 Germany @ Frankfurt, Nachtleben
16 Germany @ München, Milla
18 Germany @ Berlin, Grüner Salon *
19 Germany @ Hamburg, Fabrik *
21 The Netherlands @ Deventer, Burgerweeshuis Café

* w/ John Allen

WITH MARK MCCABE (SOLO)

MAY
28 Belgium @ Zele, Juvenes
30 The Netherlands @ Den Bosch, Knoflook

JUNE
01 Germany @ Münster, Spec Ops
02 Germany @ Hamburg, Maria's Ballroom
04 Germany @ Berlin, Schokoladen
06 Germany @ Leipzig, Warmehalle Sud
08 Austria @ Innsbruck, Die Bakerei
09 Austria @ Graz, Sub
10 Austria @ Vienna, Spice

UK FESTIVAL SHOWS (FULL BAND)

JUNE
18 London @ Buffalo Bar (Orgreave 30th Anniversary)

JULY
04 Blissfields, near Winchester
12 Meon Fest, near East Meon near Petersfield
18 Truck, Oxfordshire 

AUGUST
15 Devon, Beautiful Days
22 Northamptonshire, Greenbelt Festival

‘The Bear’ is Chris’s 3rd album for label Xtra Mile Recordings. Recorded with his band The Hoodrats, together they have departed from the paired down introspection of 2010’s 'Love Is Not Rescue' and instead created a full-on psych rock record with hints of Sebadoh, early Hold Steady, early Yo La Tengo, or Blur at their heavier moments and with a nod to grimy garage-y 60s like The Faces and Animals. Channelling these influences, Chris and his band taped the album close to live, completing songs in 3 or 4 takes just as those bands would have done back then. The result is a fascinating and excitingly fresh sounding record and some of his best work to date.

“A great, powerful indie rock record of an ilk that isn’t often heard these days.”

THE RUCKUS

“Superb. Wonderfully open and rough hewn. A real immediacy, even on the album’s quieter moments, that perfectly serves up razor-edged lyrics. File under essential listening.”

BEAT SURRENDER

christt.com / @christt / xtramilerecordings.com

ROB LYNCH SIGNS TO XTRA MILE RECORDINGS // NEW VIDEO FOR 'MY FRIENDS & I' + SUPPORTING CHARLIE SIMPSON

Please join us in welcoming London-based punk rock troubadour, and all round good'un, Rob Lynch to the Xtra Mile family! In celebration of this perfect and timely union, Xtra Mile Recordings will release Rob's debut album All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul later in 2014. 

Rob said: "I'm truly honoured to be joining the ranks at Xtra Mile, a label that I have respected for many years for their support of British talent, as well as releasing great records from acts from shores more distant. I'm excited that they are joining me for the journey on my debut album."

Not content with merely making an excellent record and allowing Xtra Mile to release it for him, Rob has also been announced as support to Charlie Simpson on his May tour, having just finished up the Warped Acoustic Basement Tour in the UK. Not one to shy away from the rigours of the road, he’s also playing various festivals including Slam Dunk and a two month stint on the formidable Vans Warped Tour in the US this summer. So expect to hear a lot more from Rob Lynch in the coming year.

To add to this already monumental announcement, Rob has released the music video for ‘My Friends & I’, a track from the forthcoming album which encourages boisterous sing-alongs and rabble-rousing enthusiasm for friendship but also runs rather deeper. It'll also be ringing through your head for the next month. You can watch the video below:

Taken from the upcoming debut album, "All These Nights In Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul". http://www.facebook.com/roblynchmusic http://www.twitter.com/TheRobLynch

In Rob’s words – “My Friends & I’ on the surface is a pop song about friends, but lyrically covers instances of death and broken relationships. It's an uplifting singalong about life choices." The track was produced by Sam Duckworth (Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly) and features guest vocals from Joe Boynton from Transit, amongst a whole gang of Rob’s nearest and dearest. 

Tour dates are as follows:

CHARLIE SIMPSON TOUR:
MAY
12 Glasgow @ King Tuts
14 Manchester @ Deaf Institute
15 Birmingham @ Academy 2
16 London @ Islington Academy
17 Brighton @ Concorde 2
19 Bristol @ Thekla 

FURTHER LIVE DATES: 
03 MAY Pirate Satellite Festival, Stuttgart
10 MAY Rotterdam Riot, Rotterdam
24 – 26 MAY Slam Dunk Festival (Leeds, Hatfield, Wolverhampton)
13 JUNE – 3 AUG Vans Warped Tour

facebook.com/roblynchmusic / @theroblynch 

CHEAP GIRLS PRE-ORDER BUNDLES AVAILABLE - ALBUM OUT 12 MAY // TOUR DATES WITH ANDREW JACKSON JIHAD

In advance of the release of Cheap Girls' ear-pounding new album Famous Graves, Xtra Mile Recordings have launched a number of pre-order bundles for those keen and on-the-pulse.

Photo by Lance Nelson

Once described by Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, who produced their third album Giant Orange, as "an authentic Midwestern rock band in the vein of The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Sugar and early Smoking Popes", Famous Graves really drives those comparisons home. Loud, with soaring melodies built on chiming and (over)driven guitars, punching the air ecstatically is the only acceptable reaction. Those who saw them on tour with Against Me! in March and The Hold Steady in April will attest to that.

View fullsize

Famous Graves can be pre-ordered from the Xtra Mile Recordings shop and is available on CD, coloured 12" vinyl, and as a download. To add to those already attractive standard options, check out the Xtra Mile-exclusive Cheap Girls t-shirt, and the vinyl & t-shirt or CD & t-shirt bundles too. What's more, the first 100 USA pre-orders will get an exceptional Cheap Girls beer koozie. 

You can feast your eyes on these treats below in our picture gallery.

Want more reasons to pre-order? Well, you can listen to three tracks from the record right now - Man In Question, Amazing Grace, and Knock Me Over.

Taken from the forthcoming album 'Famous Graves' out 12th May UK/Europe and 13th May North America on Xtra Mile Recordings. Pre-order album here: Xtra Mile Recordings - http://bit.ly/1hGOhiY Amazon - http://smarturl.it/FamousGravesAmazonCD iTunes - http://smarturl.it/FamousGravesiTunes

Taken from the forthcoming album 'Famous Graves' out 12th May UK/Europe and 13th May North America on Xtra Mile Recordings. Pre-order album here: Xtra Mile Recordings - bit.ly/1hGOhiY Amazon - smarturl.it/FamousGravesAmazonCD iTunes - smarturl.it/FamousGravesiTunes

Pre-order album here: Xtra Mile Recordings - http://bit.ly/1hGOhiY Amazon - http://smarturl.it/FamousGravesAmazonCD iTunes - http://smarturl.it/FamousGravesiTunes

In addition to all this album excitement, Cheap Girls will be supporting the stupendous Andrew Jackson Jihad in the US. Tour dates are below.

JUNE

05 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
06 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar
07 Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth
08 Gainesville, FL @ High Dive
09 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
12 Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
13 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
14 New York, NY @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
16 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
17 Buffalo, NY @ Waiting Room
18 Cleveland Heights, OH @ Grog Shop
19 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
21 Chicago, IL @ Green Music Festival
22 St Louis, MO @ The Firebird
23 Oklahoma City, OK @ Conservatory

cheapgirls.net
 

BILLY THE KID ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM 'HORSESHOES & HAND GRENADES' OUT SEPTEMBER 2014 // SUMMER EUROPEAN TOUR WITH CHUCK RAGAN

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades artwork

Canadian songwriter and recent Xtra Mile addition Billy the Kid will release her fourth album Horseshoes & Hand Grenades in September 2014 through Xtra Mile Recordings on a worldwide release. It was produced by Frank Turner, who also plays on the record alongside The Sleeping Souls drummer Nigel Powell. Tracklisting is below and it can be pre-ordered here.

For more on the recording of the album, this exclusive video has interviews with Billy and Frank, and snippets of studio performances – check it out.

Billy is also set to tour UK and Europe in May and June with distinctive voice of the working man, and Hot Water Music frontman, Chuck Ragan. They will be joined by Northcote. All dates are listed below.

SUPPORTING CHUCK RAGAN IN UK AND EUROPE:

MAY
27 Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Basement
28 Bristol, UK @ Thekla
29 London, UK @ Garage
31 Erfurt, GER @ Centrum

JUN
01 Nürnberg, GER @ Hirsch
03 Aschaffenburg, GER @ Colos-saal
04 Munich, GER @ Theaterfabrik
05 Wien, AST @ Arena
06 Leipzig, GER @ Conne Island
07 Berlin, GER @ SO 36
09 TBC
10 Köln, GER @ Live Music Hall
12 Milan, ITA @ Live Forum Club
15 TBC
17 Osnabrück, GER @ Rosenhof
18 Dresden, GER @ Dresden @ Scheune w/Dave Hause & Northcote
19 Wiesbaden, GER @ Schlachthof w/ Dave Hause & Northcote
24 Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
25 Manchester, UK @ Gorilla
26 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades showcases Billy's tender laments, tied up in beyond-her-years experience and the ever-present signature of hope. Recorded in London with bare bones arrangements, it allows Billy's natural storytelling and lithe voice to guide the listener through her world and her life.

Horseshoes & Hand Grenades tracklisting:

Photo by Dave Stewart

1. Phone Bills

2. Riverbank

3. The Satellites + 1

4. Science

5. The Quarry

6. This Sure As Hell Ain’t My Life

7. Chelsea Rose

8. Back To You

9. Virginia

10. Lord Let Me

11. Thoroughfare

12. Walkin’ Around Hotel Blues

13. Young + On Fire

Billy the Kid is a regular face on the North American underground touring circuit and a prolific writer with her band Billy & the Lost Boys and as a solo artist. In true DIY spirit, 2010 saw work begin on her début solo full-length album Ours. In addition to pre-orders and specialized bundles, Billy helped pay for the record by travelling across the continent to play fundraisers, anniversaries, birthday parties and private concerts as well as going camping, white water rafting and rock climbing with fans.

After three crowd-sourced albums and a failed business partnership in a recording studio, Billy was set on finishing the Van's Warped Acoustic Basement Tour 2013, and walking away from music altogether. But a chance day-off in Toronto resulted in meeting Frank Turner who was in town headlining Lee’s Palace venue. They got on, Frank invited her on stage for a Neil Young cover and a friendship was born. In the audience was Xtra Mile’s managing director Charlie Caplowe who instantly saw the promise in this home-grown star.

billythekidonline.com / Billy the Kid Facebook / @billypettinger