For immediate release:

BLITZEN TRAPPER’s
FIELD REXX
CD RELEASE PARTY!

with special guests:
THE KINGDOM
THE GRAVES
CUM LAZER DJs

Friday, February 18th, 9:30 PM
$6 day of show
21 and over

Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd Avenue, Portland OR

blitzen trapper
(click for hi-res file, more here)

stream “Summer Twin” off FIELD REXX
download "Summer Twin" MP3
stream the whole damn thing!

THE FIRST ALBUM: This is the second Blitzen Trapper album, following on their debut self-titled 2003 release, reviewed this very week as part of Pitchfork’s annual Found Sound feature.  Pitchfork writer Marc Hogan describes the debut as “an off-kilter blend of stoned country-rock and spazzy neo-psych” but “far quirkier”. He goes on to say, “Remember Beck before his career devolved into magazine-pleasing genre exercises? These guys have the same bent, rustic perspective on popcraft, and a heap of ambition.” The album caused a bit of a stir here too, landing Blitzen Trapper smack-dab in the midst of Willamette Week’s Best New Bands list for 2003.

 THE NEW ONE (FIELD REXX): The new album pulls from the same “freak-pop” framework, adding a little more melancholy and roughing up the edges a bit, while maintaining the solid-gold melodies and playful song structures we hold so dear.  They recorded the whole thing themselves in their SE Portland studio, and released it themselves to boot.  I’m biased in about fifty different ways, but I sincerely believe these guys are one of the very best things happening in Portland right now, and this album bears that out.

THE KINGDOM: Tonight’s release party also features two of Portland’s other best things: The Kingdom and The Graves.  The Kingdom have been gigging relentlessly of late, and building up a deserved following.  Their music combines catchy synth riffs with exuberant vocals and a touch of the ol’ art-school deconstructionism.  They’re really fun to see live, and the recorded stuff (currently just two seven-inches and an EP) is worth hunting down.

 THE GRAVES: We’re particularly lucky to have the Graves on the bill, given how rarely they perform in town, and how amazingly talented they are.  Their sophomore album, Yes Yes Okay Okay, released on Hush Records, has been criminally slept on, and now’s as good a time as any for everyone to WAKE UP.  Their music is lazy, sun-kissed downer-pop, perfect for drinking beer at noon in the park and reading depressing books.  No really, they’re great!

 CUM LAZER is just absurd.

THAT PITCHFORK REVIEW I WAS TALKING ABOUT: “The bass player (stand-up, naturally) for Portland, Oregon's Blitzen Trapper once described their sound as Neil Young meets Pink Floyd, but that's only half the story. "Freak-pop" might be a better descriptor, particularly given the parlance of our times. Sure, an off-kilter blend of stoned country-rock and spazzy neo-psych weaves into focus amid the glassy-eyed twang of tracks like "Texaco" and "Whiskey Kisser". But Blitzen Trapper are far quirkier, delving into everything from cracked indie lounge a la Pavement's "5+4=Unity" ("Trigga Finga") to hook-laden thrash-pop straight off Blur's 1997 self-titled effort ("The All Girl Team"). Woo-hoo, indeed. Remember Beck before his career devolved into magazine-pleasing genre exercises? These guys have the same bent, rustic perspective on popcraft, and a heap of ambition. There's no telling where 2004 release Field Rexx would have placed in my Top 50 if I'd heard it soon enough, but this debut is a fine introduction.” - Marc Hogan, Pitchforkmedia.com

http://www.blitzentrapper.net (yeah)
http://www.diealloverme.com (kingdom)
http://www.hushrecords.com (graves)

For promo copies, interview requests, list spots, backrubs, anything really:
Matt Wright, matt@mattwrightpr.com