FROM THE BADABING! PIPELINE:
Drag City To Release Helena Espvall and Masaki Batoh Collaboration; 20/20/20 To Reissue Damon & Naomi’s More Sad Hits; Everybody Ends Up Touring Together
On July 22nd, Drag City will release the first recorded collaboration between Helena Espvall and Masaki Batoh. This self-titled, 12 song album brings the best of Ghost’s Hypnotic Underworld with shimmering beauty added by the supremely talented Helena Espvall.
Additionally, also on July 22nd, Damon & Naomi will be reissuing their first album, More Sad Hits, on their own 20/20/20 label, which just last year released the band’s latest album, Within These Walls. Created as a swan song response to the dissolution of Galaxie 500, More Sad Hits was recorded with Galaxie producer Kramer, and is just as cutting a reaction to the sinister allure of fame as it was when released back in 1992. The album was so strong, that a presumed one-off led to a long relationship with Sub Pop Records, who offered to put out future releases after hearing what the duo could accomplish on their own.
In advance of releases, both bands will be touring the states for a serious of special shows. The connection between all musicians is not tenuous. Espvall toured in Damon & Naomi’s band on their last tour, while the duo’s regular collaborations with Batoh date back to 1995. The one show Espvall and Batoh have played so far was with Damon & Naomi in Tokyo this past January.
Swedish-born Philadelphian Helena Espvall is the celloist for the singular psychedelic folk group Espers, as well as the experimental film and music ensemble, The Valerie Project. In 2006, she released a solo record Nimis & Arx on Pax/Fire Museum Records and has also collaborated with Damon and Naomi, Fursaxa, Oluyemi Thomas, Sharron Kraus, From Quagmire, Lukas Ligeti, Samara Lubelski, Eugene Chadbourne, Pauline Oliveros, Scorces, Katt Hernandez and many others.
Masaki Batoh is the vocalist and guitarist for the legendary proggo-psycho Japanese band Ghost. Trips to the U.S. are extremely rare. The last Ghostly apparation was during 2004’s Hypnotic Underworld tour! In 2000, Batoh produced the collaboration with his fellow touring mates entitled Damon and Naomi with Ghost. Last year saw the release of Ghost’s full-length album In Stormy Nights, followed by the live DVD Overture.
Batoh and Helena will perform together for these dates.
TOUR DATES
Damon & Naomi:
Sat 05/31/08 Peterborough, NH – The Thing in the Spring Festival
Damon & Naomi with Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh:
Thu 06/12/08 Cambridge, MA – TT the Bear’s Place
Fri 06/13/08 Portland, ME – Space Gallery
Sat 06/14/08 Brooklyn, NY – Southpaw
Sun 06/15/08 New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
Mon 06/16/08 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Tue 06/17/08 Washington, DC – Black Cat
Wed 06/18/08 Pittsburgh, PA – Garfield Artworks
Fri 06/20/08 Louisville, KY – Terrastock Festival
Sat 06/21/08 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
Damon & Naomi:
Wed 06/25/08 Dublin, Ireland – Whelans (Upstairs)
Thu 06/26/08 Galway, Ireland – Roisin Dubh
Fri 06/27/08 Belfast, Northern Ireland – Black Box
Sat 06/28/08 London, England – TBA
Sun 06/29/08 Toulouse, France – Les Siestes Electroniques Festival
6.13.2008 | Fri | Damon & Naomi with Helena Espvall and Masaki Batoh
Doors open at 9:00pm, music starts at 9:30pm, $8, 18+
Doors open at 9:00pm, music starts at 9:30pm, $8, 18+
Buy tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com Damon & Naomi are going two decades strong taming melancholy with beautiful music. From their beginnings in the college-rock-band staple Galaxie 500 to their new album “Within These Walls”. Fans of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Scott Walker take note. They bring with them distinguished guests Masaki Batoh from the seminal Japenese psych band, Ghost, and Helena Espvall from Espers.
http://www.damonandnaomi.com/
http://www.dragcity.com/bands/helenabatoh.html
New D&N video on Pitchfork.tv (Thanks to Chris Gray for pointing this out).