Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Patrick Krief to tour

Montreal-based artist Patrick Krief (longtime guitarist for The Dears) is set to tour the United States, with stops planned already in 17 cities, including an official SXSW showcase (3/15 @ TenOak).  (See below for tour schedule.)  Rock Ridge Music will be releasing his album, Hundred Thousand Pieces, on March 19, 2013, in the U.S. (with distribution via ADA). 
 
On the self-produced, self-mixed album, Krief played nearly all the instruments himself (with help from former Black Diamond Bay member Roberto Piccioni), and he also composed the complex, melodically independent string, brass and choir arrangements.  Hundred Thousand Pieces, Krief says, is full of touches he obsessed over; he was committed to creating music that was strongly evocative, inspired by his work scoring films. The 10 songs on the album deal with his anxieties about growing older and continuing down the financially precarious road of a professional musician.  Hundred Thousand Pieces follows Krief’s work with The Dears, his first solo release, 2007's Take It Or Leave EP, and 2009's Calm Awaits as part of the band Black Diamond Bay.
 
While most of Hundred Thousand Pieces was recorded at his Cote-des-Neiges apartment, bits and pieces of it were recorded on his laptop while touring with Black Diamond Bay, the drums were laid down at Mixart studios in the N.D.G. neighborhood of Montreal, and even a few old demo tracks he simply couldn't re-create made the final mix.
 
Completing Hundred Thousand Pieces has given Krief the resolve to continue on the unpredictable artistic path he's been leading these past eight years, and to not fear telling his stories, his way. “Songs like ‘Simple Lives’ and ‘Forever Goodnight’ deal with those questions, about packing it all in and making music as a hobby on the side,” Krief says. Toro Magazine called “Hundred Thousand Pieces” “one of the year’s finest records.”
 
Prior to his solo outings and around the time NME hailed them as “the best new band in the world,” Krief joined The Dears, an indie rock band from Montreal known for their orchestral, dark pop and dramatic live shows.  Krief’s impassioned guitars graced the band’s music live and on record from 2003 to 2008, and he reconnected with the band in 2010 and remains a member now.  The Dears toured extensively across Canada, U.S., UK, Europe, Japan and Australia, including opening slots for Sloan, The Tragically Hip, Keane, The Secret Machines, and Morrissey.  While on break from The Dears, Krief recorded with Black Diamond Bay, which also featured former drummer of The Dears, George Donoso III.
 
PATRICK KRIEF U.S. TOUR:
3/1 – PJ's Lager House, Detroit, MI 
3/2 – Township, Chicago, IL 
3/3 – Cause Spirits and Soundbar, Minneapolis, MN 
3/4 – Gas Lamp, Des Moines, IA 
3/5 – Record Bar, Kansas City, MO 
3/6 – Merchant's High Saloon, Denver, CO
3/8 – Starry Plough, Berkeley, CA 
3/9 – Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA 
3/11 – Eleven, San Diego, CA 
3/13 – Lost Leaf, Phoenix, AZ 
3/15 – Green Room Music Source SXSW Official Showcase @ TenOak, Austin, TX
3/17 – Circle Bar, New Orleans 
3/18 – Atlanta Room, Atlanta, GA 
3/19 – Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC  
3/21 – Rock Shop, Brooklyn, NY  
3/22 – M Room, Philadelphia, PA
3/23 – O’Brien’s Pub, Allston, MA
 

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