Ladies and Gentlemen, at long last “The Double Down: Live in Denver, Vols 1& 2″ are here. This two volume, four disc set (each volume has a CD and DVD) was captured in October 2011 in Denver, CO during the Double Down in Denver weekend.
We can’t wait for you to hear and see it. Each volume is available to order separately, but if you get the discounted Double Pack (both volumes together) you also get a FREE instant digital download of both the Double Down Dead EP (4 Grateful Dead Cover songs) and the Double Down Covers EP (5 classic BoH cover songs). See below for the full track listings, as well as the covers on both EPs and the bonus material included on the DVDs.
TRACK LISTING (DVD & CD):
You’re Gonna Miss Me
Golden Calf
Say
Somebody Tell The Truth
Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled
LA County Blues
Enough
What’s This World
Right Here with Me
Nothing to See Here
Should Have Known
VOLUME 1 BONUS MATERIAL (DVD ONLY):
Wilson & Otis
Hey Rider
TRACK LISTING (DVD & CD):
Medicine Man
Talking Out Loud
Jackson Station
Judas ‘Scariot Blues
The Other Broadway
Nine Steps Down
Second Line
Polaroid
Gris Gris Satchel
Shine a Light
Free Again
Gravity
I Ain’t Running
VOLUME 2 BONUS MATERIAL (DVD ONLY):
Behind the Scenes Featurette Footage from the Double Down Weekend
If you purchase BOTH Volumes together, you will save money AND get a FREE instant audio download of two live BONUS EP’s from the Double Down weekend (Included only with the purchase of the DOUBLE PACK or the SUPER BUNDLE)
The Double Down Covers EP* (Audio Only)
TRACK LISTING:
Hurricane
Handbags and Gladrags
Look at Miss Ohio
Millionaire
I Got You (At the End of the Century)
AND
The Double Down Dead EP* (Audio Only)
TRACK LISTING:
Mississippi Half-Step Toodeloo
Ramble On Rose
Mister Charlie
Brokedown Palace
*Get these two digital EP’s only with the purchase of both volumes of the Double Down DVD/CD set.
*****************************************
Live from Sun Studios
Americana Top Ten Albums 2011
We’re pleased to share that Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son was included in the Americana Top Ten Albums of 2011 list. This marks the 3rd album in a row by tBoH to end up in the year end top 10 list.
Many thanks to all of the fans and the Americana DJ’s who continue to support the band and their music. We look forward to getting the band back on the road in 2012!
Thanks and Giving and an Announcement
11.28.11
Thanks and Giving and an Announcement
Thanks to everyone who came out for our two Thanksgiving shows this past weekend. With your help we were able to raise over $1000 to feed the hungry and assist our friends at http://www.feedthemwithmusic.com/
We have much to be thankful for and look forward to closing out 2011 with a European tour and a few more shows in the end
of December around Texas.
The final shows of 2011 have special significance as one of our founding members, Colin Brooks has decided to leave the band to explore other interests. Colin has been an integral part of The Band of Heathens family from the beginning, and his musicianship, songwriting and presence will be missed.
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating these final shows with Colin and we look forward to seeing your smiling faces in 2012 as we head out on the gilded road again.
Thanks for making it all possible
-tBoH
The Double Down Weekend is Here
DOUBLE DOWN IN DENVER – THIS WEEKEND
Jubba Jubba, wolly bolly everyone, we just wanted to tell you a little bit about what’s going on this weekend. Down in The Heathen den, we have cooked up a little experiment, albeit a modest one, in which we shall commune for 2 nights of music and happenings in one of our favorite places to play, Denver, CO. If you’re from Denver, you already know why it’s a great music town, if you haven’t experienced it, now is a perfect time.
This is our first attempt at staging something larger than a one night stand sort of show, (we just wanted to prove that we do value deeper, lasting relationships). We consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have found a tribe of like minds, music lovers and wanderers to share the trip with. We hope this is a chance to gather and be a part of the community, where we’re able to all get on the same page for a little while.
It’s going to be 2 nights of music and fun, each night will be a completely different performance. We’re going to do some covers, some acoustic music, sprinkle in some rock and roll and generally try out some different things. Both nights will be filmed and recorded for a future live CD/DVD release, so come be a part of Heathen history.
With any luck, we will all ride a sonic wave to glory while we wait for the deal to go down.
You can purchase tickets to each show individually, get both shows together as a package deal, OR you can purchase the Double Down in Denver Weekend which includes two nights of hotels, a pair of tickets to both shows, and more. Click here for more details, or visit www.bandofheathens.com/doubledown
Setlist Winner: Andy Zipper
We got a boatload of very well thought out set lists in response to our asking you, the fans, to submit your ideas for the ultimate The Band of Heathens set. But the one that took the prize came from Andy Zipper. Contrats to Andy who will receive a pair of backstage passes to the shows for him and a guest.
We’ve got some new shirts up in the online store and more to come in the next few weeks.
Many of these shirts feature artwork taken from the “Top Hat Crown & the Clapmster’s Son” album art and were designed by Joshua Marc Levy.
And don’t forget,
there are some deals to be had with the Bundle Deals in the store. The Top Hat Crown Deluxe package features both the CD and 180 gram vinyl versions of the new record plus a T Shirt, a bumper sticker, and an instant download of the record with BONUS tracks. All of the bundle deals offer more buy for your buck.
Saddled Up for Serious Strumming
Michael Nagle for The New York Times
By NATE CHINEN
Published: August 4, 2011
The air was getting thick downstairs at Union Hall in Brooklyn on Wednesday night, and the members of the Band of Heathens were making themselves at home. Ed Jurdi, seated at a keyboard, was belting a Southern soul number called “The Other Broadway,” in his high, tremulous rasp. Colin Brooks, at the other end of the stage, attacked his electric guitar, uncoiling blues licks in a coarsened tone. Between them was Gordy Quist, blithely strumming a rhythm-guitar riff. The band played the song and then extended it, pushing an ecstatic four-bar vamp, louder and wilder with each turnaround but without ceding any control.
The six-piece Band of Heathens comes from Austin, Tex., one of the handful of American cities where a craft-minded rock group can be flush with success, and even the stirrings of celebrity, without making a splash nationwide. That last bit is a work in progress. The band has been touring doggedly in support of “Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son,” which was released on its own BOH label in the spring, earning a midlevel perch on the Americana radio chart.
Produced by George Reiff, “Top Hat Crown” is a varied showcase, with songs by all three of the group’s front men, skirting Southern rock (“Should Have Known”), swamp blues (“Medicine Man”) and euphoric hippie jams (“Gravity”). But if the Band of Heathens is going to expand its fan base, the album can only be secondary to tour dates, and shows like the one at Union Hall: hungry, unflagging and lean. Fittingly, for a group that coalesced around a weekly singer-songwriter showcase, the live show is the bottom line.
There were some moments in this show — covers of “I’ve Got a Feeling,” by the Beatles, and “Look at Miss Ohio,” by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings — that called to mind the gnash and grit of an excellent bar band. Which may sound like faint praise, though it shouldn’t. At its best, the Band of Heathens makes the material seem almost irrelevant, which is good, since its songwriting can occasionally feel gestural and glib. (Now that’s faint praise.)
One exception in the show was Mr. Quist’s “Polaroid,” from the new album. Its sunshine-pop chord progression and honeyed vocal harmonies were reminiscent of the Jayhawks, another countrified rock band with more than one songwriter in the saddle. Just as appealing, in more of a vintage Neil Young vein, was “L.A. County Blues,” an older band staple with Mr. Jurdi singing lead.
Whatever the song, the band — with Seth Whitney on bass, John Chipman on drums and Trevor Nealon on Hammond B-3 organ — hummed with purpose, loose in actions but tight in rapport. And the contrast among the three lead singers was rewarding, especially on a newer song, “Gris Gris Satchel,” that had them taking turns in the verses.
That was the song before the closer, “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” a sprawling blast of country-rock with a simple refrain. “You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone,” it went, in yelping group harmony: not a bad mantra for a band on the road.
The Band of Heathens appears on Friday at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Mass., and on Saturday at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pa.; bandofheathens.com.
Summer Tour Dates Announced
Austin Chronicle Cover 5.6.11
Bonnaroo 2011
We’re pleased to announce that the Band of Heathens have been added to the 2011 lineup for Bonnaroo. Celebrating its 10th year, Bonnaroo is one of the world’s top festivals featuring some of the biggest names in music today. This year is no different, with Mumford & Sons, Ray Lamontagne, Buffalo Springfield, Arcade Fire and many other artists all scheduled to appear.
The Band of Heathens will play one of the Cafe Stages on Friday June 10, time TBD.
3/29/11 – The Band of Heathen’s new album “Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son” officially hits the streets today at outlets nationwide. The band’s fifth album in as many years is being called their best yet and is currently making its way up both the Americana and TripleA radio charts.
The band kicks off a west coast tour starting tonight in Denver, CO then Park City, UT and throughout the western US. A complete tour schedule can be found on the tour page.
Read a note from Ed on the release of the new record on the blog page
The Band of Heathens have announced their new record, “Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son” is set to release 3.29.11. Stay tuned for more information coming soon, including pre-orders and tour dates.
5 Year Anniversary Show – Free Download
2/11/11– That’s right Heathens Fans. Live at Momo’s 5 Years Later. Horns and Special Guests. Download the whole damn set for FREE.
We love you, thanks for 5 years, now let’s make it 5 more!
AMA top Albums of 2010
12/15/10 – Nashville, TN — The Americana Music Association has announced its year end Top 100 Albums of the Year. The Americana Airplay Chart is managed by the Americana Music Association and represents the reported play of terrestrial radio stations, nationally syndicated shows, satellite radio and Internet stations which have agreed to submit weekly spin counts on Americana albums they’ve played during the previous week.
The Band of Heathens “One Foot In The Ether” came in at #7! Many thanks to the AMA community and the many radio stations who have supported the Heathens!
10/11/2010 — With Sunday’s news of the passing of the great soul singer Solomon Burke, we’d like to give you a free download of the song “Millionaire”. Our friend the incredible songwriter Kevin Welch wrote the song and Solomon Burke recorded a version of it in 2006 on an album titled “Nashville”. Solomon Burke’s version inspired us to take a shot at recording it. 10/10/10 R.I.P. King Solomon
Check out Kevin Welch’s music HERE. He has a new record out called “A Patch of Blue Sky”.
Sin City – Free Download
9/10/10 — We’re trying to share some new/old music as often as possible through the mailing list and the website so here goes another free song… This acoustic cover of The Flying Burrito Brothers’ Sin City was an outtake from the “One Foot In The Ether Sessions.” Written by Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, this song has all of the components of a great country song. Dig in.
Between tour dates, we’ve been at Top Hat Studios in Austin working on songs for a new album. As we get closer to finishing things up, we’ll be sharing some stuff with you, so stay tuned. On Facebook we’ve uploaded some recent photos from the recording sessions.
Back to the long and winding road this week as we hit some of our favorite spots in the southeast.
Until next time.
Cheers,
TBOH
House of Blues / Live Nation “Ticket Fee”
2/3/2010 – We just learned from some of our fans that Live Nation is adding a $8 “Ticket Fee” to each advance ticket sold online for our Friday show at the House of Blues in Houston. We were previously unaware of this fee, and if you would like to avoid it and pay a lesser fee of $3-5, you can wait until Friday and buy tickets at the House of Blues. You risk the show selling out, but you avoid the higher ticket fee.
Regardless of what you choose to do, we deeply regret that you were charged this fee, and we’d like to give each ticket holder a voucher worth $8 to be applied to any purchase at our merchandise table at the show. So hold onto your ticket stubs to redeem your $8 voucher. We will do everything in our power to be aware of these things and avoid them in the future. We hope to see you at the show.
Buy advance tickets (and your $8 voucher) by clicking HERE.
Nashville, Tenn. – The Band of Heathens continue their rise on the American music landscape by landing a coveted spot on Austin City Limits‘ historic 35th season and garnering a 2009 “New and Emerging Artist” nomination from the Americana Music Association (AMA). The Austin-based five piece are part of an illustrious class for the 2009-2010 season of Austin City Limits which includes established superstars Dave Matthews Band, Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam and Elvis Costello. The coveted PBS TV taping coupled with their recent nomination pays tribute to the band’s commitment to creating and performing quality music.
Since the unveiling of their independent release a year ago, The Band of Heathens have been building on their much deserved momentum and converting fans to their Americana grit and soulful sound with a robust tour schedule of more than 280 performances, television appearances, festival participation and a huge online presence. They recently earned major praise from Wall Street Journal pop music critic, Jim Fusilli, who while at South by Southwest in March wrote “The Band of Heathens, an Austin-based group, played the best set I came across during my five nights in town,” With a new full-length studio album in the works and a host of tour dates, there are only good things to come in 2009.
As their dedicated fans already know, The Band of Heathens’ live show is a must-see and the guys continue to keep up their aggressive touring schedule throughout the summer months with upcoming sets at the internationally recognized Summerfest and Mile High Music festivals. The band will perform their soulful live show in both clubs and outdoor stages from California to the Southwest, and all points in between, undoubtedly winning over fans in each new city.
Living and performing in Austin, The Band of Heathens has been fortunate to collaborate with some well-known Texas artists. Ray Wylie Hubbard produced their studio record which also features guests Stephen Bruton, Patty Griffin and Gurf Morlix. Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist and Colin Brooks are each showcased in their vocal delivery, songwriting and guitar interplay. The unified front downstage is cemented by a heavy groove courtesy of Seth Whitney on bass and John Chipman on drums.
The much publicized creation of The Band of Heathens adds to their charismatic appeal. The band came to be while the five members were playing in different bands respectively in the “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin, Texas. The fellas started jammin’ together at Momo’s and it was clear that they were victims of fate more than circumstance. That these guys came together is surely no accident. Music this soulful and tight can’t be anything short of preordained. “This ain’t genericamericana. This is greasy and right,” says KGSR Content Manager and recognized music tastemaker Jody Denberg.
There is never any doubt the band is having as much fun as their listeners and touring throughout the United States has added nuance to their songs. There is a comfort and ease in the material and lyrics; a perfect marriage of roots and jam which allows the casual tone of the songs to work anywhere from a back porch party to a packed club, to just makin’ you feel good about being stuck in traffic.
In 2009 and beyond, The Band of Heathens are connecting people through the music, online and through live performance…you have to listen to believe!
SXSW and TBOH in the Wall Street Journal
SXSW this year was jammed full of great music and dark sunglasses. Some of our favorite shows were Gary Louris and Mark Olson, The Motherhips, T Bird and the Breaks, Suzanna Choffell, and the Heartless Bastards.
Check out this article in the Wall Street Journal about SXSW and see the Band of Heathens mentioned near the end.
‘The music industry isn’t completely broken,” the hip-hop artist known as Busdriver told me, “but it’s on its way. I see some freedom in that.”… Read More by clicking below
“I’ve had some experience with major labels,” said Emily Wells, who plays viola to hip-hop rhythms and orchestral sounds. “They want to know what you’re doing all the time. They’re nosy. Now I’m entirely self-motivated. I have creative control.”
Jon Jameson and Matthew Vasquez of Delta Spirit at the festival.
Busdriver and Ms. Wells were among the 1,900 or so artists and bands who performed at the 23rd annual South by Southwest Festival held here last week. They’re both based in Los Angeles, but fans all over the world found their music on the Internet, which, for many musicians, is a distribution platform that cuts out intermediaries who may take a slice of income without contributing to the artistic process. By now, that’s old news. What artists are discovering is that, by managing their own affairs, they can control costs and make the music they want.
“Now people have access to everything, and those creating it have the ability to get it to everybody,” said Dan Dyer, an Austin resident who played a handful of shows during the festival. “An artist has to fend for himself and let the audience decide.”
The band BLK JKS, which did two shows here, had a budding global fan base before it toured outside its homeland, South Africa. “We didn’t have an album. We had no video. We still have no video,” said guitarist Mpumard Mcata. BLK JKS put its music on a MySpace page. “Early adopters,” as the band calls its fans at home, helped spread the word. “We try to figure it out in our heads,” added Lindani Buthelezi, who plays bass. “We try not to follow the other way. A target market doesn’t exist for us. Our target market is anybody who would like to listen.”
Though it may not seem so to fans who lined up outside the downtown clubs before showtime, SXSW is a bazaar for industry professionals seeking talented clients and for musicians in search of representation. As always, many musicians would be delighted to sign with any manager, label, booking agent or publisher just to be in the music industry.
Other artists know the independent route suits their style. Like Busdriver and Ms. Wells, BLK JKS doesn’t fit easily into any commercial category or musical genre. It’s recording its debut album for Secret Canadian, an independent that’s marketing the band’s EP, “Mystery.” Ms. Wells distributes her “The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties” via iTunes, emusic and other online vendors. The independent label ANTI will release Busdriver’s “Jhelli Beam” in early June.
“The reality of pop in our culture has changed,” said Mark Mothersbaugh, a 35-year veteran of the music business best known as a member of Devo. “Now, instead of a monolithic list of important artists, you have a web of information. With the Internet, you can say, ‘I want to hear French bistro death metal cha-cha’ — and there’s somebody doing it. You may not find any of these people to be big icons like Mick Jagger, but you have a lot of people with interesting ideas.”
SXSW had its share of familiar names — Metallica, Jane’s Addiction, Devo, Kanye West, Big Boi of Outkast, Erykah Badu, Jimmy Webb and the New York Dolls, to name a few. Some indie acts who’ve found success were in town — including the Decemberists, who did a remarkable performance of their rock opera “The Hazards of Love” (Capitol) and allowed NPR Music to Webcast and archive it before its release this week. A few acts with a cult following may have expanded their base: Grizzly Bear and Department of Eagles, who share Daniel Rossen as a member; the Wooden Birds; St. Vincent; and Andrew Bird, among others. It was a buyer’s market for the open-minded music lover.
The fun of SXSW is running across little-known bands. Though they’ve gotten some attention backing the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach on his solo tour, I’d never heard of Hacienda, a local quartet that plays retro-rock and R&B “well and with a lot of fun,” according to notes I scribbled when I stumbled into its set while in search of another band. Back at the hotel, I sampled Hacienda’s album on its MySpace page and downloaded it from iTunes.
I went to see Juliette Commagere, whose album “Queens Die Proudly” (Aeronaut) is an alluring bit of modern pop featuring her beautiful voice and clever percussion by her husband Joaquin Cooder. Arriving early, I caught a set by Black Gold, a New York duo. I sort of like their debut album, “Rush” (Red Bull), but they rock much harder live. For all the new mash-ups of genres, the kind of music I heard most here was Americana, and the Band of Heathens, an Austin-based group, played the best set I came across during my five nights in town.
My most unforgettable moment: Standing on a sunny afternoon behind and above an outdoor stage where Delta Spirit, unknown when its played SXSW three years ago, ripped into a set for about 200 people, many of whom sang every word and all of whom felt the sense of exhilaration and true belief that washes over an audience at a great rock show. At that moment, not one of the gleeful spectators cared a whit about who does what in the music business in 2009.
At a panel at the convention center, E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt, promoting the ossified-geezer perspective, said rock needed to be saved, adding, “Over the past 30 years, I’ve been witness to a crisis of craft” in modern popular music. But Mark Mothersbaugh told me, “The ratio of good music to bad is about the same as 30 years ago.”
Independent musicians seem to agree that chaos on the commercial side is rarely bad for a creative artist.
“The 2000s are the wilderness,” said BLK JKS’s Mr. Mcata. “There are no genres. There is nothing. It’s exciting.”
Mr. Fusilli is the Journal’s rock and pop music critic. Email him atjfusilli@wsj.com.
#2 on Americana Radio Chart; #1 on EuroAmericana Chart
This week the Band of Heathens self-titled studio album debut hit #2 on the Americana Radio Chart in the U.S. and #1 on the European EuroAmericana Radio Chart.
JamBase Reviews the Heathens
JamBase just posted a review of the album. Check it out:
“There’s just nothing to dislike about roots rockers The Band of Heathens – dead sturdy, salt o’ the earth songwriting delivered with strong, clear voices, lively picking and jubilant spirit. If early Jayhawks or Steve Earle knocks your dick in the dirt then you’re gonna love you some Heathens, the winners of the 2007 “Best New Band of the Year” at the Austin Music Awards. And kids, if they like ‘em in Austin – a town with more musicians than cockroaches – then you know there’s giddy-up in these shitkickers, who remind one of The Eagles’ first couple albums, which is a much bigger compliment than many youngsters may take it to be.
Built around a core trio of singer-songwriters – Ed Jurdi, Gordy Quist and Colin Brooks – the Heathens seethe with front porch charm, offering up tales of second lines, girls from Manitoba and earthy cornbread making, each tune full of nice details snatched by their writerly eyes. Cleanly produced by Texas elder statesman Ray Wylie Hubbard and bolstered by harmony vocals from Patty Griffin on a few cuts, their self-titled studio debut is plain ol’ quality stuff. If this were 1975 they’d be on the top of both the rock and country charts. Even if times have changed dramatically, it shouldn’t be long before these Heathens are playing far beyond Midland and Lubbock. –JamBase”
