Fans of instrumental rock/fusion (Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, John Scofield, Joe Satriani) and heavy progressive musical excellence (King Crimson, Dream Theater, Queen) - LISTEN UP!
THE ARISTOCRATS, the white-hot rock/fusion instrumental virtuoso power trio featuring celebrated musicians Guthrie Govan (guitar), Bryan Beller (bass) and Marco Minnemann (drums), will release their new album, Culture Clash, on July 16, 2013 via BOING Music.
Culture Clash will be sold in both regular and deluxe editions. The deluxe package will contain a bonus DVD called, “Accept The Mystery: The Making Of The Aristocrats' Culture Clash”, a 33-minute DVD documentary shot while THE ARISTOCRATS were tracking the album in Nashville, TN between January 15th-21st. Containing both studio footage and exclusive interviews with each member of the band, this is a special behind-the-scenes look at THE ARISTOCRATS that fans have never seen before.
Culture Clash tracklisting:
1. Dance Of The Aristocrats
2. Culture Clash
3. Louisville Stomp
4. Ohhhh Noooo
5. Gaping Head Wound
6. Desert Tornado
7. Cocktail Umbrellas
8. Living The Dream
9. And Finally
The band’s 2011 self-titled instant-classic debut album proved irresistible to fans of guitar-driven instrumental rock (think Vai, Satriani) but ended up crossing over both ways, making inroads with the progressive (Dream Theater) and modern technical metal (Animals As Leaders, Meshuggah, Periphery) crowds alike. That’s not surprising considering the genre-defying panoply of the band’s true influences: Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, John Scofield, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Rage Against The Machine, Pink Floyd, Queen, King Crimson, The Police, Kraftwerk, Bjork, Return To Forever, and more…a variety of which show up in each band member’s individual compositional style, as they’re all contributing songwriters.
Culture Clash honors the band’s panoramic potpourri of influences, while showing up as a more aggressive, intensely-written album that picks up where the band’s first effort left off – all while retaining a quirky Zappa-influenced refusal to take themselves too seriously. That’s evidenced by the album’s title alone, which derives its name from a sly reference to the Coen Brothers’ film A Serious Man, and doubles as an allusion to the band’s multi-national makeup (Govan is British; Beller is American; Minnemann is German).
“We've all been totally blown away by the reaction to the first album, the live album, and just us becoming a band in general. We're all beyond grateful for that,” states bassist Bryan Beller. “So this record, I feel like, is a response to that amazing response. It's like, 'OK, you dug all that crazy stuff on the first one, eh? Well, here, check this out.' We don't want to rest on our laurels. We want to push this thing further, as far as we can, wherever that goes.”
Culture Clash proves to be a more adventurous piece of work for the trio, with everything from techno-fusion (“Dance Of The Aristocrats”), to nitro-powered rockabilly (the Ren-and-Stimpy-influenced “Louisville Stomp”), to Mr. Bungle-infused metal (“Living The Dream”), to the rhythmically serpentine rock/fusion-esque title track. The band feels that being joined at the hip for the past two years helped them become a stronger unit, which set them on a more unconventional course.
“All the time we spent together as a band touring, and gigging together and interacting, has made us bolder in terms of the kind of material we've dared to write for this album,” adds guitarist Guthrie Govan. “I think there's some wackier stuff that we maybe wouldn't have submitted for the first album when we didn't know each other as well. We didn't know what kind of craziness we would get away with. So I guess we're enjoying some of the benefits of having been a real band for longer.”
The members of THE ARISTOCRATS first performed together as a trio at the Anaheim Bass Bash during the winter NAMM show in 2011. After a huge response from fans for the trio to become permanent, the band (named after the infamous dirty joke of the same name) quickly recorded their first album The Aristocrats in 2011, to instant wide acclaim. The band released a live album, Boing, We’ll Do It Live! in 2012. Guitarist Guthrie Govan has been featured on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine and is known for his solo album Erotic Cakes, as well as recent touring work with Steven Wilson, and performing with the band Asia/GPS from 2001-2006. Bassist/solo artist Bryan Beller graced the cover of Bass Player Magazine in late 2012, and is recognized from his work withDethklok, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Mike Keneally. Drummer Marco Minnemann is a multi-instrumentalist and prolific solo artist/composer, was featured on the cover of Modern Drummer Magazine, and is known for his live work with Necrophagist, Kreator,Adrian Belew, UKZ, and Steven Wilson – as well as his Telly Award-winning DVD Extreme Drumming.
THE ARISTOCRATS recently announced via their social media pages that they will be heading out on tour in July and August for their longest American run to date. The venue tour kicks off in Nashville, TN on July 17th and includes select clinics at schools like the Atlanta Institute of Music, Berklee College of Music, and more.
THE ARISTOCRATS “Culture Clash” U.S. Tour Dates:
7/17 Nashville TN @ Douglas Corner
7/19 Tampa FL @ Brass Mug
7/21 Jacksonville FL @ 1904 Music Hall
7/23 Atlanta GA @ Atlanta Institute of Music (clinic/show)
7/24 Atlanta GA @Masquerade (Purgatory Room)
7/25 Charlotte NC @ Tremont Music Hall (Casbah)
7/26 Raleigh NC @ Pour House Music Hall
7/27 Washington DC @ Jammin Java
7/29 Boston MA @ Berklee College of Music (clinic)
7/30 Boston MA @ Berklee Performance Center (concert)
7/31 Wilkes-Barre PA @ River St. Jazz Cafe
8/1 New York City NY @ Highline Ballroom
8/2 Philadelphia PA @ North Star Bar
8/3 Dunellen NJ @ New Jersey Proghouse
8/6 Pittsburgh PA @ Hard Rock Cafe
8/7 Cleveland OH @ Beachland Tavern
8/8 Columbus OH @ Rumba Café
8/9 Cincinnati OH @ Southgate House Revival
8/10 Charleston WV @ Empty Glass
8/12 Detroit MI @ Token Lounge
8/13 Indianapolis IN @ Birdy's
8/14 Chicago IL @ Reggie's
8/15 Madison WI @ Brink Lounge
8/16 St. Paul MN @ Station 4
8/17 Omaha NE @ Shamrock's
8/19 St. Louis MO @ 2720 Cherokee
8/20 Kansas City MO @ The Record Bar
8/21 Tulsa OK @ The Vanguard
8/23 Denton TX @ Dan's Silverleaf
8/24 Houston TX @ Rudyard's Pub
8/25 Austin TX @ Saxon Pub
For more information on THE ARISTOCRATS, please visit these websites:
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