The Belle Brigade to tour

Fresh off their well-attended month-long residency at Club Spaceland in Silverlake, Los Angeles band The Belle Brigade, fronted by siblings Barbara and Ethan Gruska, will hit the road for a series of spring U.S. tour dates in support of their upcoming self-titled debut album, which will be released by Reprise Records on April 19th, 2011. The band's single "Losers" will be available from all digital retailers beginning February 1st.

The duo, backed by their talented band (bassist Keith Karmen, keyboardist Aaron Arntz, electric guitarist Harlan Silverman, and drummer Mike Green), will open four shows for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in February and March, followed by a series of dates opening for G. Love and Special Sauce in April. Please see below for all confirmed dates. The band will also perform at this year's SXSW Festival in Austin, TX, March 16th through the 19th.

Inspired by Barbara and Ethan's love for Fleetwood Mac, Simon & Garfunkel, The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder, The Belle Brigade's debut album is chock-full of artfully arranged, freewheeling songs brimming with breezy, California melodies and bracing pop harmonies, fueled by the driving rhythms Barbara plays on drums.

A longtime fixture on the Los Angeles music scene, Barbara is a sought-after live drummer who toured with Inara George and Jenny Lewis, among others, before she picked up a guitar and formed the band with her singer-songwriter younger brother Ethan two years ago.

Raised in a musical family (their father is songwriter/composer Jay Gruska and their maternal grandfather is renowned film composer John Williams), Barbara and Ethan have a strong familial chemistry, which, along with their obvious songwriting gifts, has resulted in one of the most thrilling debut albums of the year.

The Belle Brigade have recently attracted notable critical praise for their live shows, as well as the first two songs released off the album, "Sweet Louise," (available here: http://sweetlouise.thebellebrigade.com/), which was a Top Tune on KCRW's website on January 24th, and "Losers," which is available as a 7" vinyl single here:
http://www.becausesoundmatters.com/product/losers-7-vinyl.

They were also featured as one of the Los Angeles Times' "Faces to Watch" picks for 2011.

Times critic Ann Powers raved: "The Belle Brigade, Barbara Gruska's band with kid brother Ethan, shows off her big memorable voice and considerable charisma within songs that gleam with hooks and pour over with earnest emotion. … Its misfits anthem 'Losers' could be a Top 10 hit."

Check out video clips for the "Losers" 7"-single here:

Losers (A-Side):
http://www.youtube.com/bsmvids#p/u/1/xEgfdW3lQgI

My Old Home (B-Side):
http://www.youtube.com/bsmvids#p/u/0/UMFQstemc7w

The Belle Brigade's upcoming tour dates are as follows:
02/04
Los Angeles, CA
El Rey Theatre*

03/09
New York, NY
Irving Plaza*

03/10
New York, NY
Irving Plaza*

03/11
Philadelphia, PA
Theatre of the Living Arts*

04/07
Phoenix, AZ
Marquee Theater**

04/08
San Diego, CA
House of Blues**

04/09
Los Angeles, CA
House of Blues**

04/10
San Francisco, CA
The Fillmore**

04/14
Sacramento, CA
Harlow's**

04/15
Santa Cruz, CA
The Catalyst**


04/21
Bend, OR
Domino Room**

04/22
Spokane, WA
Knitting Factory**

04/23
Boise, ID
Knitting Factory**

04/26
Fargo, ND
The Venue**

04/27
Duluth, MN
Clyde Iron Works**

04/28
Madison, WI
The Majestic**

04/29
St. Louis, MO
The Pageant**

04/30
Minneapolis, MN
First Avenue**

*denotes show with Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
**denotes show with G. Love and Special Sauce

For more about The Belle Brigade, visit:
http://www.thebellebrigade.com/
www.myspace.com/thebellebrigade
http://twitter.com/thebellebrigade
http://www.facebook.com/TheBelleBrigade