Busdriver releases new album and readies for Coachella

BUSDRIVER: NEW ALBUM AND LIVE PERFORMANCES REAP RAVE REVIEWS
TOUR WITH DEERHOOF SETS STAGE FOR COACHELLA

RoadKillOvercoat Claims #1 Position on CMJ Hip Hop Chart

BUSDRIVER, currently on tour in support of his critically acclaimed Anti- debut, Roadkillovercoat, has been reaping rave reviews during his stint as support act for acclaimed indie outfit Deerhoof. The unconventional hip-hop fixture has been touted by the likes of Pitchfork, Alternative Press, Filter, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and CMJ. RoadkillOvercoat also claimed the #1 position on the CMJ Hip Hop Charts this past week.

“Busdriver opening up for Deerhoof seemed like an odd pairing, but the rapper, who came on stage donned in Christmas lights, nearly shadowed the indie rock darlings,” praised CMJ this week of last Friday’s Irving Plaza gig, adding, “the MC set a tone for the tour that might make Deerhoof have to step it up a bit.”

Reviewing that same performance, The New York Times’ Jon Pareles wrote, “Busdriver presented his own kind of overload: rhymes in tricky accelerating and decelerating meters that often shifted into triple and quadruple speed… Within the barrage of syllables were inventive rhymes and complex commentary on politics and culture, not shying away from vocabulary like “oligarchy.” But as Busdriver switched between speed-rapping and an occasional mocking pop croon, he put the songs across with as much comedy as self-righteousness.”

In a full page feature on January 28th, The Los Angeles Times heralded the 28-year old MC born Regan Farquhar for his efforts on Roadkillovercoat, which go well beyond the traditional boundaries of hip/hop. “Simultaneously a spectacle of calisthenics and a lesson in lyrics, Busdriver’s voice pitters and patters with the fury of a concert flutist over complicated and often jarring production,” Brandon Perkins wrote of Busdriver’s fifth solo disc and first for Anti-.

Calling it “ridiculous, articulate, erudite and blistering,” Filter named Roadkillovercoat “his most palatable work.” Elsewhere, Alternative Press professed, “It’s a constant evolution that gives Busdriver his edge over his peers,” and Scratch insisted Busdriver is “a proud new-era MC… he’s got plenty of skill and charisma.”

Chronicling BD’s distinct, slow-brewed brand of showmanship, and matched by a depth and stadium-sized bombast that has only been hinted at on earlier independent efforts like 2002’s definitive Temporary Forever, 2003’s The Weather, ‘04’s Cosmic Cleavage and last year’s Fear of a Black Tangent, Busdriver’s all-encompassing wares are evident on RoadKillOvercoat. Be it the 80’s rock-tinged tour-de-force ”Sunshowers”, the aforementioned “Kill Your Employer” or the psychedelic touched “Secret Skin,” its little wonder that Busdriver has been blowing unsuspecting, underground minds with his visceral onslaught of rants, rhyming and displaced musical sensibility for more than a decade.
Busdriver’s upcoming North American tour dates include two newly confirmed solo shows in Los Angeles on February 7th and San Francisco on February 9th. BD will continue to tour with Deerhoof through to February 23rd before aligning with hip/hop visionary RJD2 for a seven week run between March 9th and April 23rd. Busdriver has also been confirmed for the 2007 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 27th.

Here are Busdriver’s upcoming tour dates:

2/7 The Airliner, Los Angeles, CA
2/9 Low End Theory, San Francisco, CA
2/16 Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville, FL
2/17 The District, Miami, FL*
2/18 Crowbar, Tampa, FL*
2/19 The Social, Orlando, FL*
2/20 Common Ground, Gainesville, FL*
2/21 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA*
2/22 Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN*
2/23 The Warehouse, Baton Rouge, LA*
3/09 Wexner Center, Columbus, OH
3/10 The Dame, Lexington, KY
3/12 Revolution Music Room, Little Rock, AR
3/13 Bricktown Events Center, Oklahoma City, OK
3/14 Haileys, Denton, TX
3/17 Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
3/19 House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
3/20 Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
3/21 Cats Cradle, Carrboro, NC
3/22 Satellite Ballroom, Charlotteville, VA
3/23 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
3/24 Sonar, Baltimore, MD
4/12 Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA
4/12 Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, NY
4/14 Middle East Club, Cambridge, MA
4/15 Pearl Street, Northampton, MA
4/18 Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
4/19 Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights, OH
4/21 First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN
4/22 The Picador, Iowa City, IA
4/23 Birdys, Indianapolis, IN
4/29 Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
*With Deerhoof