The Posies’ 8th album Solid States will be released this spring, launching via the innovative new music platform My Music Empire. Please visit the Posies’ page here, where you can listen to a new song called “Squirrel Vs. Snake.”
The intro video “A Message From THE POSIES” has more information on how you can get involved with the project using My Music Empire.
The Posies’ 8th album, Solid States, is going to be released in the spring of 2016, and the band have announced a contest to design the album cover. One winner will receive $500 USD and a special Posies prize pack. From Creative Allies:
We are making our 8th album, which for us represents major changes in our lives from the recovery of the loss of our drummer, Darius Minwalla, who passed away last year, to major musical reinventions of our sound and style. The album Solid States encapsulates an irony. In fact, we acknowledge that nothing is solid; everything is fluid, exploding, falling apart, recombining and that is the true nature of life. As much as we try and hold on to things, they change. And getting comfortable with this concept is the source of a lot of anxiety for most people (including us).
Our ideas for the cover concept are that it’s very scientific (solid being one of the states of matter). We envision a little bit of the above mentioned anxiety coming thru in an abstract drawing. Something frenetic and frantic, but also mathematical. We imagine the lettering for the band/ title would be several layers, like an exploded drawing.
Yes: Pencil, pen & ink, precise, scientific, hand made but controlled. Computerized art is OK too, but there needs to be a human aspect to it. Not *too* cold.
No: Photographs. We’re looking to avoid anything “retro” as well.
For more information on how to submit a design, please visit Creative Allies‘ website. The deadline to submit is February 10th.
Claudia Rorarius has launched a website for the Ken The Movie, and you can sign up to their mailing list to receive updates. They are planning on launching an IndieGoGo campaign soon. Ken says that “the story follows a unique character that shares his name and many of his traits but is moving thru a fictional story.”
You can also like their Facebook page and see more information there.
On October 1st, Big Star’s Third will be performed at Slim’s in San Francisco.
The band includes Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Ken Stringfellow (Big Star/Posies), Chris Stamey (The dB’s), Pat Sansone (Wilco) Audley Freed (Black Crowes), Brett Harris, Ralph Carney & Skylar Gudasz, with a Chamber Orchestra featuring Kronos Quartet and conducted by Van Dyke Parks
Tickets are available here.
Ken Stringfellow & Holly have announced tour dates for The Record, the country concept album recorded earlier this year in France. All shows are on sale now!
October 4th – Boulder, Colorado — living room show [Tickets]
October 5th – Denver, Colorado — living room show [Tickets]
October 6th – Jackson, Wyoming — living room show [Tickets]
October 7th – Badlands, South Dakota — living room show [Tickets]
October 8th – Bismarck, North Dakota — Laughing Sun Brewing Co. [Tickets]
October 9th – Minneapolis, Minneapolis — living room show, early supper club show [Tickets]
October 9th – Minneapolis, Minneapolis — later pop-up concert at the Yoga Garden [Tickets]
October 10th – Chicago, Illinois — living room show hosted by Pig & Weasel House Concerts [Tickets]
October 11th – Nashville, Tennessee — living room show [Tickets]
October 13th – Charleston, West Virginia — Fireside Bar & Lounge [Tickets]
October 14th – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Liveburgh Studio [Tickets]
October 15th – New York City, New York — Fine & Raw Chocolate Factory [Tickets]
October 16th – Greenwich, Connecticut — living room show [Tickets]
October 17th – New Canaan, Connecticut — living room show [Tickets]
October 18th – Washington, District of Columbia — living room show [Tickets]
October 19th – Durham, North Carolina — living room show [Tickets]
October 21st – Lexington, Kentucky — living room show [Tickets]
October 22nd – Memphis, Tennessee — living room show [Tickets]
October 23rd – Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas — living room show [Tickets]
October 24th – Houston, Texas — living room show [Tickets]
October 26th – El Paso, Texas — Hope & Anchor [Tickets]
October 28th – Los Angeles, California — living room show [Tickets]
October 29th – San Francisco, California — living room show [Tickets]
October 30th – San Francisco, California — living room show [Tickets]
October 31st – San Francisco, California — living room show [Tickets]
November 4th – Portland, Oregon — living room show [Tickets]
November 5th – Portland, Oregon — living room show [Tickets]
November 6th – Seattle, Washington — living room show [Tickets]
November 7th – Seattle, Washington — living room show [Tickets]
Big Star’s Third will be performed next month at First Avenue in Minneapolis, featuring Ken Stringfellow, Jody Stephens, Mike Mills, Chris Stamey, and more. Tickets are available here.
On June 14th, Neumos in Seattle will be hosting a memorial for Darius Minwalla. Ken Stringfellow, Jon Auer, Matt Harris, and Joe Skyward will be present, though we don’t yet know who will be performing and when. All proceeds will benefit the Minwalla family.
Also, Hugh Cornwell was interviewed by Sean Nelson last week about Darius, who played drums in Hugh’s band for the past few years. You can read that interview here on The Stranger.
A cause of death has still not been determined.
Statement from Ken Stringfellow.
We cannot put off this announcement, as much as we wish to: our dear friend and drummer for the last 14 years, Darius Minwalla, died yesterday. Causes yet unknown. He was at home. He was loved very much by many people; we’re still struggling to cope with the loss. I was dealing with it yesterday, hoping the news was some kind of cruel prank, but alas, no. We love you, buddy.
Sean Nelson wrote a touching article for The Stranger: Seattle Music Community Stunned By Untimely Death Of Darius Minwalla
Ken Stringfellow and Holly are making a country album through the crowdfunding site PledgeMusic. Get involved here! A message from Ken & Holly with more information on the project below.
Howdy!
We (Ken Stringfellow and HOLLY) are thrilled to be embarking on a musical odyssey the likes of which anyone (well, at least neither of us) has seen.
This April, we’re spending one month at Ken’s studio in perfectly-sunlit Tours, France working on a response to Willie Nelson’s 1975 pièce de résistance, The Red Headed Stranger. Where Willie’s demanding collection of brief, interwoven song-poems and standards followed an outlaw preacher on the run after murdering his wife and her lover, our project, The Record: A Country Concept Album tells the story of two hopeless reprobates, ne’er-do-wells you can’t help but love, cousins or in-laws you, admit it, wished had a reality show on Bravo.
We’re calling our project The Record: A Country Concept Album and we want you to join in on the adventure! Simply pre-order here, and you’ll get to see what’s happening behind-the-scenes as we write and record the new songs. Follow a pledger-only blog about our experiences in France, and so much more. You can also order some unique experiences and merchandise in the store below. Everything from vinyl, used cowboy belts, and highly collectible paint-by-number paintings to a trip to Ken’s studio in France and cowboy hat shopping in Nashville!
Thank you so much for you support. We can’t wait to create this album with you.
Sincerely,
Ken & Holly
