Singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price formed Archers of Loaf in Chapel Hill, NC in 1991. Icky Mettle was the first of four studio albums for the band that seemed to personify what SPIN Magazine deemed "a tremendously optimistic time in underground music, that 15-minute period in the early 1990s when it looked like indie rock really might take over the world."
The band never officially "broke up." Eric Bachmann had another project he was working on (Crooked Fingers) and the grind of the traditional album cycle and touring started to weigh on their desire to continue making music together. Over the last 13 years, the band have kept in touch with each other and over the last couple years the band members began to develop an itch that needed to be scratched. They got together to practice a few times in late 2010, and things clicked much better than expected, so they decided to dip their toes in the water by performing the secret show in January 2011 at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC with the Love Language. The show proved they hadn't really missed a beat, and so a larger tour was booked in mostly smaller venues to replicate the raw live experience for which the band had always been highly regarded.
Merge will reissue all four studio albums starting with Icky Mettle on August 2, 2011. All will be remastered and reissued with bonus materials galore.
The band never officially "broke up." Eric Bachmann had another project he was working on (Crooked Fingers) and the grind of the traditional album cycle and touring started to weigh on their desire to continue making music together. Over the last 13 years, the band have kept in touch with each other and over the last couple years the band members began to develop an itch that needed to be scratched. They got together to practice a few times in late 2010, and things clicked much better than expected, so they decided to dip their toes in the water by performing the secret show in January 2011 at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC with the Love Language. The show proved they hadn't really missed a beat, and so a larger tour was booked in mostly smaller venues to replicate the raw live experience for which the band had always been highly regarded.
Merge will reissue all four studio albums starting with Icky Mettle on August 2, 2011. All will be remastered and reissued with bonus materials galore.
06/14/12
Archers of Loaf have announced new tour dates! In addition to reissuing the newly remastered versions of All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes in August, the band will play shows in Atlanta, Nashville, Chicago and Minneapolis.
Also, What Did You Expect? the new concert documentary about Archers of Loaf will be screening at various festivals in the US and Canada. Watch the trailer and check the Facebook page for more information.
Pre-order All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes or the special bundle on dbl-CD or colored vinyl now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original albums. Visit the Merge store to find our recent releases of Icky Mettle and Vee Vee remastered and reissued on dbl-CD, LP and digital download, too.
Archers of Loaf on tour:
June 16 Toronto, ON Phoenix
June 23 Calgary, AB Sled Island Festival at Republik
July 14 New York, NY 4 Knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport
July 29 Charlotte, NC Recess Festival at Tremont Music Hall
Aug 10 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Aug 11 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Aug 18 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
Aug 24 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
Aug 26 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
What Did You Expect? screenings:
June 15 Toronto, ON NXNE Festival (World Premiere)
June 18 Calgary, AB Sled Island Festival
July 5 New York, NY CBGB Fest (US Premiere)
July 7 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle
Aug 15 Minneapolis, MN Trylon
Also, What Did You Expect? the new concert documentary about Archers of Loaf will be screening at various festivals in the US and Canada. Watch the trailer and check the Facebook page for more information.
Pre-order All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes or the special bundle on dbl-CD or colored vinyl now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original albums. Visit the Merge store to find our recent releases of Icky Mettle and Vee Vee remastered and reissued on dbl-CD, LP and digital download, too.
Archers of Loaf on tour:
June 16 Toronto, ON Phoenix
June 23 Calgary, AB Sled Island Festival at Republik
July 14 New York, NY 4 Knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport
July 29 Charlotte, NC Recess Festival at Tremont Music Hall
Aug 10 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Aug 11 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Aug 18 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
Aug 24 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
Aug 26 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
What Did You Expect? screenings:
June 15 Toronto, ON NXNE Festival (World Premiere)
June 18 Calgary, AB Sled Island Festival
July 5 New York, NY CBGB Fest (US Premiere)
July 7 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle
Aug 15 Minneapolis, MN Trylon
05/31/12
On August 7, Merge will reissue All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes, the final two albums from Archers of Loaf. Both albums have been remastered by Bob Weston and feature re-imagined cover art, new liner notes and copious bonus material. Also, each album will be available on double-CD, colored vinyl and digital download. Pre-order both albums now individually or together as a special bundle in the Merge store.
With All the Nations Airports, the band did not compromise its efforts to push itself in new directions. Archers of Loaf delivered an album that included the straightforward indie-rock songs that had made them famous, interspersed with instrumental tracks, layered tape loops, and even a solo piano song. In Stephen Thompson’s liner notes for the Airports reissue, he says, “It’s music that exists because it must, with all the bile, beauty, and bluster of youth and all the disaffected paranoia of a perpetually worried mind. The album might not have fulfilled Archers of Loaf’s commercial potential at the time, but that makes an awful lot of sense. The band tended to craft its greatest art when it saw fit to scribble in the margins.”
Archers of Loaf almost called it quits after All the Nations Airports due to the strain of touring and the rut of the album cycle (i.e., make record, make video, do interviews, tour, tour, tour; repeat) but decided they would make one more album and see how they felt after that process. They again enlisted the help of Brian Paulson to record the album that became White Trash Heroes. On this album, the band added keyboards to several songs as well as vocoder, and debuted the lead vocals of Matt Gentling on the track “I.N.S.” “Banging on a Dead Drum” found all the members swapping instruments and featured some of the worst cowbell ever attempted.
In the liner notes for Merge’s reissue of the Archers’ final album, Josh Modell says, “In hindsight, it’s easy to read White Trash Heroes as both the stormy end to a legendary band and as the beginning of something else: Bachmann’s next project, Crooked Fingers. Hints of what came two years later abound here, particularly on the keyboard undercarriage and restrained energy of ‘Dead Red Eyes’ and the epic, sequencer-assisted title track.”
Pre-order All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes or the special bundle on dbl-CD or colored vinyl now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original albums. Visit the Merge store to find our recent releases of Icky Mettle and Vee Vee remastered and reissued on dbl-CD, LP and digital download, too.
Archers of Loaf – All the Nations Airports
Artwork re-imagined by Ian Dingman; liner notes by NPR’s Stephen Thompson
Available for pre-order on dbl-CD and clear vinyl
Track listing:
1. Strangled by the Stereo Wire
2. All the Nations Airports
3. Scenic Pastures
4. Worst Defense
5. Attack of the Killer Bees
6. Rental Sting
7. Assassination on X-mas Eve
8. Chumming the Ocean
9. Vocal Shrapnel
10. Bones of Her Hands
11. Bumpo
12. Form and File
13. Acromegaly
14. Distance Comes in Droves
15. Bombs Away
Bonus Disc:
1. Density
2. Little Jets
3. Strangled by the Stereo Wire (4-Track Demo)
4. All the Nations Airports (4-Track Demo)
5. Scenic Pastures (4-Track Demo)
6. Trilogy (4-Track Demo)
7. Assassination on X-Mas Eve (4-Track Demo)
8. Chumming the Ocean (4-Track Demo)
9. Vocal Shrapnel (4-Track Demo)
10. Bones of Her Hands (4-Track Demo)
11. Bumpo (4-Track Demo)
12. Form and File (4-Track Demo)
13. Acromegaly (4-Track Demo)
14. Distance Comes in Droves (4-Track Demo)
15. Bombs Away (4-Track Demo)
16. Density (4-Track Demo)
17. Little Jets (4-Track Demo)
18. There Has To Be Something (4-Track Demo)
19. Total Failure (4-Track Demo)
Archers of Loaf – White Trash Heroes
Album art re-imagined by Casey Burns; liner notes by the A.V. Club’s Josh Modell
Available for pre-order on dbl-CD and white vinyl
Track listing:
1. Fashion Bleeds
2. Dead Red Eyes
3. I.N.S.
4. Perfect Time
5. Slick Tricks and Bright Lights
6. One Slight Wrong Move
7. Banging on a Dead Drum
8. Smokers in Love
9. After the Last Laugh
10. White Trash Heroes
Bonus Disc:
1. Jive Kata
2. Fashion Bleeds (4-Track Demo)
3. Dead Red Eyes (4-Track Demo)
4. Slick Tricks and Bright Lights (4-Track Demo)
5. One Slight Wrong Move (4-Track Demo)
6. Banging on a Dead Drum (4-Track Demo)
7. Smokers in Love (4-Track Demo)
8. After the Last Laugh (4-Track Demo)
9. White Trash Heroes (4-Track Demo)
10. Untitled and Forgotten (4-Track Demo)
11. Walk of Shame
12. Untitled
13. Whooh!
With All the Nations Airports, the band did not compromise its efforts to push itself in new directions. Archers of Loaf delivered an album that included the straightforward indie-rock songs that had made them famous, interspersed with instrumental tracks, layered tape loops, and even a solo piano song. In Stephen Thompson’s liner notes for the Airports reissue, he says, “It’s music that exists because it must, with all the bile, beauty, and bluster of youth and all the disaffected paranoia of a perpetually worried mind. The album might not have fulfilled Archers of Loaf’s commercial potential at the time, but that makes an awful lot of sense. The band tended to craft its greatest art when it saw fit to scribble in the margins.”
Archers of Loaf almost called it quits after All the Nations Airports due to the strain of touring and the rut of the album cycle (i.e., make record, make video, do interviews, tour, tour, tour; repeat) but decided they would make one more album and see how they felt after that process. They again enlisted the help of Brian Paulson to record the album that became White Trash Heroes. On this album, the band added keyboards to several songs as well as vocoder, and debuted the lead vocals of Matt Gentling on the track “I.N.S.” “Banging on a Dead Drum” found all the members swapping instruments and featured some of the worst cowbell ever attempted.
In the liner notes for Merge’s reissue of the Archers’ final album, Josh Modell says, “In hindsight, it’s easy to read White Trash Heroes as both the stormy end to a legendary band and as the beginning of something else: Bachmann’s next project, Crooked Fingers. Hints of what came two years later abound here, particularly on the keyboard undercarriage and restrained energy of ‘Dead Red Eyes’ and the epic, sequencer-assisted title track.”
Pre-order All the Nations Airports and White Trash Heroes or the special bundle on dbl-CD or colored vinyl now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original albums. Visit the Merge store to find our recent releases of Icky Mettle and Vee Vee remastered and reissued on dbl-CD, LP and digital download, too.
Archers of Loaf – All the Nations Airports
Artwork re-imagined by Ian Dingman; liner notes by NPR’s Stephen Thompson
Available for pre-order on dbl-CD and clear vinyl
Track listing:
1. Strangled by the Stereo Wire
2. All the Nations Airports
3. Scenic Pastures
4. Worst Defense
5. Attack of the Killer Bees
6. Rental Sting
7. Assassination on X-mas Eve
8. Chumming the Ocean
9. Vocal Shrapnel
10. Bones of Her Hands
11. Bumpo
12. Form and File
13. Acromegaly
14. Distance Comes in Droves
15. Bombs Away
Bonus Disc:
1. Density
2. Little Jets
3. Strangled by the Stereo Wire (4-Track Demo)
4. All the Nations Airports (4-Track Demo)
5. Scenic Pastures (4-Track Demo)
6. Trilogy (4-Track Demo)
7. Assassination on X-Mas Eve (4-Track Demo)
8. Chumming the Ocean (4-Track Demo)
9. Vocal Shrapnel (4-Track Demo)
10. Bones of Her Hands (4-Track Demo)
11. Bumpo (4-Track Demo)
12. Form and File (4-Track Demo)
13. Acromegaly (4-Track Demo)
14. Distance Comes in Droves (4-Track Demo)
15. Bombs Away (4-Track Demo)
16. Density (4-Track Demo)
17. Little Jets (4-Track Demo)
18. There Has To Be Something (4-Track Demo)
19. Total Failure (4-Track Demo)
Archers of Loaf – White Trash Heroes
Album art re-imagined by Casey Burns; liner notes by the A.V. Club’s Josh Modell
Available for pre-order on dbl-CD and white vinyl
Track listing:
1. Fashion Bleeds
2. Dead Red Eyes
3. I.N.S.
4. Perfect Time
5. Slick Tricks and Bright Lights
6. One Slight Wrong Move
7. Banging on a Dead Drum
8. Smokers in Love
9. After the Last Laugh
10. White Trash Heroes
Bonus Disc:
1. Jive Kata
2. Fashion Bleeds (4-Track Demo)
3. Dead Red Eyes (4-Track Demo)
4. Slick Tricks and Bright Lights (4-Track Demo)
5. One Slight Wrong Move (4-Track Demo)
6. Banging on a Dead Drum (4-Track Demo)
7. Smokers in Love (4-Track Demo)
8. After the Last Laugh (4-Track Demo)
9. White Trash Heroes (4-Track Demo)
10. Untitled and Forgotten (4-Track Demo)
11. Walk of Shame
12. Untitled
13. Whooh!
05/29/12
Visit iTunes to download the new Merge Spring sampler! Featuring songs from our recent releases as well as a song from our forthcoming reissue of Sugar’s Copper Blue, the sampler makes a great mixtape for your spring BBQ all for the low price of $2.99.
Visit iTunes to download Merge Records Spring Sampler 2012 now
Visit the Merge store to find full-length albums from these artists, and bookmark our SoundCloud page where we are adding new songs all the time!
Track list:
1. The Magnetic Fields “Andrew in Drag”
2. Sugar “A Good Idea”
3. Times New Viking “Try Harder”
4. Eleanor Friedberger “Heaven”
5. The Rosebuds “Second Bird of Paradise”
6. Archers of Loaf “Dead Red Eyes”
7. Wild Flag “Electric Band”
8. Imperial Teen “Out from Inside”
9. Hospitality “Friends of Friends”
10. M. Ward “The First Time I Ran Away”
11. Stephin Merritt “Forever and a Day”
12. Lambchop “Gone Tomorrow”
13. Crooked Fingers “Heavy Hours”
Visit iTunes to download Merge Records Spring Sampler 2012 now
Visit the Merge store to find full-length albums from these artists, and bookmark our SoundCloud page where we are adding new songs all the time!
Track list:
1. The Magnetic Fields “Andrew in Drag”
2. Sugar “A Good Idea”
3. Times New Viking “Try Harder”
4. Eleanor Friedberger “Heaven”
5. The Rosebuds “Second Bird of Paradise”
6. Archers of Loaf “Dead Red Eyes”
7. Wild Flag “Electric Band”
8. Imperial Teen “Out from Inside”
9. Hospitality “Friends of Friends”
10. M. Ward “The First Time I Ran Away”
11. Stephin Merritt “Forever and a Day”
12. Lambchop “Gone Tomorrow”
13. Crooked Fingers “Heavy Hours”
02/01/12
To celebrate the release of Vee Vee on February 21 as well as the reissue of All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes which will follow later this year, Archers of Loaf have added new tour dates and will perform songs from all four albums.
Listen to “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee below and watch Eric Bachmann’s “One Track Mind” episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind “Web in Front.”
Pre-order Vee Vee on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original album. Also available in the Merge store are limited-edition “Team Loaf” pennants re-created from the original design.
Archers of Loaf on tour:
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall – Noise Pop w/ Hospitality
Feb 26 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour w/ Hospitality
Apr 26 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Apr 27 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 28 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 29 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 10 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
May 11 Saxapahaw, NC Haw River Ballroom
May 12 Raleigh, NC King’s Royal Barcade
May 30-June 3 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound
Listen to “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee below and watch Eric Bachmann’s “One Track Mind” episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind “Web in Front.”
Pre-order Vee Vee on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original album. Also available in the Merge store are limited-edition “Team Loaf” pennants re-created from the original design.
Archers of Loaf on tour:
Feb 25 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall – Noise Pop w/ Hospitality
Feb 26 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour w/ Hospitality
Apr 26 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Apr 27 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 28 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr 29 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
May 10 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
May 11 Saxapahaw, NC Haw River Ballroom
May 12 Raleigh, NC King’s Royal Barcade
May 30-June 3 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound
12/01/11
On February 21, Merge will reissue Archers of Loaf’s sophomore release, Vee Vee, on dbl-CD, LP and digital download.
Remastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by MAGNET magazine editor Eric Miller, physical copies of Vee Vee will include sixteen bonus tracks and new cover art re-imagined by graphic artist Jay Ryan. Reissues of All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow later in 2012.
The first full-length produced by Bob Weston, Vee Vee was a slight departure from the previous bombastic noisepop that characterized Archers of Loaf’s previous work, and it proved that the band wasn’t just a flash in the pan. The album became their best-selling album to date and landed them on the covers of most fanzines and at the top of college radio charts across the country. “Harnessed in Slums” and “Greatest of All Time” became anthems of the underground and led to successful tours with the Flaming Lips and Weezer.
Listen to “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee below and watch Eric Bachmann’s “One Track Mind” episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind “Web in Front.”
Archers of Loaf – Harnessed in Slums by Merge Records
Pre-order Vee Vee on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original album. Also available in the Merge store are limited-edition “Team Loaf” pennants re-created from the original design. Don’t forget . . . the Merge Holiday Code works on pre-orders, too!
Archers of Loaf intend to play several more shows internationally including the Primavera Festival in Spain May 30-June 3 and to perform a wider variety of songs on limited dates throughout the end of 2012.
Vee Vee track listing:
Disc 1 -
1. Step into the Light
2. Harnessed in Slums
3. Nevermind the Enemy
4. Greatest of All Time
5. Underdogs of Nipomo
6. Floating Friends
7. 1985
8. Fabricoh
9. Nostalgia
10 Let the Loser Melt
11. Death in the Park
12. The Worst Has Yet to Come
13. Underachievers March and Fight Song
Disc 2 -
1. Harnessed in Slums ’95 (Bob Weston Radio Mix, 1995)
2. Telepathic Traffic (“Harnessed in Slums” single, Alias, 1995)
3. Don’t Believe the Good News (“Harnessed in Slums” single, Alias, 1995)
4. Smoking Pot in the Hot City (7” single, Esther, 1995)
5. Mutes in the Steeple (7” single, Esther, 1995)
6. Mark Price P.I. (out of print)
7. Bacteria (The Speed of Cattle, Alias, 1996)
8. Equinox (unreleased) (J. Coltrane)
9. (Big Joe and) Phantom 309 (out of print) (T. Faile)
10. 1985 (Marathon Boombox Demo)
11. Fabricoh (Marathon Boombox Demo)
12. Nostalgia (Marathon Boombox Demo)
13. Let the Loser Melt (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
14. Underdogs of Nipomo (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
15. Nevermind the Enemy (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
16. Don’t Believe the Good News (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
Remastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by MAGNET magazine editor Eric Miller, physical copies of Vee Vee will include sixteen bonus tracks and new cover art re-imagined by graphic artist Jay Ryan. Reissues of All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow later in 2012.
The first full-length produced by Bob Weston, Vee Vee was a slight departure from the previous bombastic noisepop that characterized Archers of Loaf’s previous work, and it proved that the band wasn’t just a flash in the pan. The album became their best-selling album to date and landed them on the covers of most fanzines and at the top of college radio charts across the country. “Harnessed in Slums” and “Greatest of All Time” became anthems of the underground and led to successful tours with the Flaming Lips and Weezer.
Listen to “Harnessed in Slums” from Vee Vee below and watch Eric Bachmann’s “One Track Mind” episode on The AV Club to hear the story behind “Web in Front.”
Archers of Loaf – Harnessed in Slums by Merge Records
Pre-order Vee Vee on dbl-CD or limited-edition mossy green LP now in the Merge store and receive an email download of the remastered original album. Also available in the Merge store are limited-edition “Team Loaf” pennants re-created from the original design. Don’t forget . . . the Merge Holiday Code works on pre-orders, too!
Archers of Loaf intend to play several more shows internationally including the Primavera Festival in Spain May 30-June 3 and to perform a wider variety of songs on limited dates throughout the end of 2012.
Vee Vee track listing:
Disc 1 -
1. Step into the Light
2. Harnessed in Slums
3. Nevermind the Enemy
4. Greatest of All Time
5. Underdogs of Nipomo
6. Floating Friends
7. 1985
8. Fabricoh
9. Nostalgia
10 Let the Loser Melt
11. Death in the Park
12. The Worst Has Yet to Come
13. Underachievers March and Fight Song
Disc 2 -
1. Harnessed in Slums ’95 (Bob Weston Radio Mix, 1995)
2. Telepathic Traffic (“Harnessed in Slums” single, Alias, 1995)
3. Don’t Believe the Good News (“Harnessed in Slums” single, Alias, 1995)
4. Smoking Pot in the Hot City (7” single, Esther, 1995)
5. Mutes in the Steeple (7” single, Esther, 1995)
6. Mark Price P.I. (out of print)
7. Bacteria (The Speed of Cattle, Alias, 1996)
8. Equinox (unreleased) (J. Coltrane)
9. (Big Joe and) Phantom 309 (out of print) (T. Faile)
10. 1985 (Marathon Boombox Demo)
11. Fabricoh (Marathon Boombox Demo)
12. Nostalgia (Marathon Boombox Demo)
13. Let the Loser Melt (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
14. Underdogs of Nipomo (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
15. Nevermind the Enemy (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
16. Don’t Believe the Good News (Vee Vee 4-Track Demo)
10/11/11
We’re happy to welcome Crooked Fingers back to the Merge family with the release of Breaks in the Armor, available today on CD, LP, and digital download.
To celebrate the release, The AV Club has posted live video of Eric Bachmann and Liz Durrett playing “Bad Blood” and “Your Apocalypse” on the top of the Chicago Tribune building.
SPIN writes:
Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Order your copy of Crooked Fingers’ Breaks in the Armor on CD, LP, and digital download in the Merge store today.
Crooked Fingers on tour:
Oct 15 Carrboro NC – Cat’s Cradle – OCSC 10-Year Anniversary
Oct 27 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
Oct 28 Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
Oct 29 Charlotte NC – The Evening Muse
Oct 30 Richmond VA – The Camel
Nov 01 Washington DC – IOTA
Nov 02 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 03 Hoboken NJ – Maxwells
Nov 04 New York NY – Mercury Lounge
Nov 05 Brooklyn NY – Cameo Gallery
Nov 06 Boston MA – TT the Bear’s
Nov 07 Montreal QC – Casa Del Popolo
Nov 08 Toronto ON – Drake
Nov 09 Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Nov 10 Cincinnati OH – MOTR Pub
Nov 11 Chicago IL – Schubas
Nov 12 Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
Nov 13 Minneapolis MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 14 Omaha NE – Waiting Room
Nov 15 Denver CO – Larimer Lounge
Nov 19 Portland OR – Mississippi studios
Nov 20 Seattle WA – The Crocodile
Nov 22 Santa Cruz CA – The Crepe Place
Nov 23 San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill
Nov 25 Los Angeles CA – The Echo
Nov 26 San Diego CA – Casbah
Nov 28 Tempe AZ – Club Red
Dec 01 Austin TX – Mohawk
Dec 02 Houston TX – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
Dec 03 New Orleans LA – One Eyed Jacks
Dec 04 Atlanta GA – The Earl
To celebrate the release, The AV Club has posted live video of Eric Bachmann and Liz Durrett playing “Bad Blood” and “Your Apocalypse” on the top of the Chicago Tribune building.
SPIN writes:
Crooked Fingers has been Eric Bachmann’s primary band for the past decade, but before that, he fronted Archers of Loaf, the seminal college rock act that sprung from Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s vaunted ’90s indie rock scene. And while Bachmann made news this year by reuniting Archers in January, then taking them out on the road at festivals like Sasquatch, he was holding an ace the whole time: Breaks in the Armor, a new, superb Crooked Fingers album.Bachmann, who writes, records, and performs songs mainly under the name Crooked Fingers, lives in Athens, Georgia, these days, where he recorded at The Bakery with Matt Yelton (live sound engineer for the Pixies) throughout the winter of 2010/2011, enlisting the help of Liz Durrett on backing vocals. It’s a cohesive and diverse set of songs with less adorned and more direct and affecting arrangements. Beautifully understated, artfully phrased, and ultimately a paean to perseverance, the album seems to suggest that the breaks in the armor are more important than the armor itself.
Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Order your copy of Crooked Fingers’ Breaks in the Armor on CD, LP, and digital download in the Merge store today.
Crooked Fingers on tour:
Oct 15 Carrboro NC – Cat’s Cradle – OCSC 10-Year Anniversary
Oct 27 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
Oct 28 Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
Oct 29 Charlotte NC – The Evening Muse
Oct 30 Richmond VA – The Camel
Nov 01 Washington DC – IOTA
Nov 02 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 03 Hoboken NJ – Maxwells
Nov 04 New York NY – Mercury Lounge
Nov 05 Brooklyn NY – Cameo Gallery
Nov 06 Boston MA – TT the Bear’s
Nov 07 Montreal QC – Casa Del Popolo
Nov 08 Toronto ON – Drake
Nov 09 Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Nov 10 Cincinnati OH – MOTR Pub
Nov 11 Chicago IL – Schubas
Nov 12 Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
Nov 13 Minneapolis MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 14 Omaha NE – Waiting Room
Nov 15 Denver CO – Larimer Lounge
Nov 19 Portland OR – Mississippi studios
Nov 20 Seattle WA – The Crocodile
Nov 22 Santa Cruz CA – The Crepe Place
Nov 23 San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill
Nov 25 Los Angeles CA – The Echo
Nov 26 San Diego CA – Casbah
Nov 28 Tempe AZ – Club Red
Dec 01 Austin TX – Mohawk
Dec 02 Houston TX – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
Dec 03 New Orleans LA – One Eyed Jacks
Dec 04 Atlanta GA – The Earl
08/23/11
Eric Bachmann’s sixth full-length album as Crooked Fingers, Breaks in the Armor, will be in stores on October 11, 2011. Pre-orders of Breaks in the Armor through the Merge website will include acoustic demo versions of all eleven album tracks. The bonus material will be available for download on the day of release.
Download “Typhoon” from the Merge SoundCloud page now!
Bachmann, who writes, records, and performs songs mainly under the name Crooked Fingers, lives in Athens, Georgia, these days, where he recorded at The Bakery with Matt Yelton (live sound engineer for the Pixies) throughout the winter of 2010/2011, enlisting the help of Liz Durrett on backing vocals. It’s a cohesive and diverse set of songs with less adorned and more direct and affecting arrangements. Beautifully understated, artfully phrased, and ultimately a paean to perseverance, the album seems to suggest that the breaks in the armor are more important than the armor itself.
Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Pre-order Breaks in the Armor through the Merge website now on CD or LP, and receive the bonus acoustic album download on the October 11th release day!
Crooked Fingers on tour:
Sep 07 Portland OR – Music Fest NW
Oct 15 Carrboro NC – Cat’s Cradle
Oct 27 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
Oct 28 Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
Oct 29 Charlotte NC – The Evening Muse
Nov 01 Washington DC – IOTA
Nov 02 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 03 Hoboken NJ – Maxwells
Nov 04 New York NY – Mercury Lounge
Nov 05 Brooklyn NY – Cameo Gallery
Nov 06 Boston MA – TT the Bear’s
Nov 07 Montreal QC – Casa Del Popolo
Nov 08 Toronto ON – Drake
Nov 09 Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Nov 10 Cincinnati OH – MOTR Pub
Nov 11 Chicago IL – Schubas
Nov 12 Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
Nov 13 Minneapolis MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 14 Omaha NE – Waiting Room
Nov 15 Denver CO – Larimer Lounge
Nov 23 San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill
Nov 25 Los Angeles CA – The Echo
Nov 26 San Diego CA – Casbah
Dec 01 Austin TX – Mohawk
Dec 02 Houston TX – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
Dec 03 New Orleans LA – One Eyed Jacks
Dec 04 Atlanta GA – The Earl
Download “Typhoon” from the Merge SoundCloud page now!
Bachmann, who writes, records, and performs songs mainly under the name Crooked Fingers, lives in Athens, Georgia, these days, where he recorded at The Bakery with Matt Yelton (live sound engineer for the Pixies) throughout the winter of 2010/2011, enlisting the help of Liz Durrett on backing vocals. It’s a cohesive and diverse set of songs with less adorned and more direct and affecting arrangements. Beautifully understated, artfully phrased, and ultimately a paean to perseverance, the album seems to suggest that the breaks in the armor are more important than the armor itself.
Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Pre-order Breaks in the Armor through the Merge website now on CD or LP, and receive the bonus acoustic album download on the October 11th release day!
Crooked Fingers on tour:
Sep 07 Portland OR – Music Fest NW
Oct 15 Carrboro NC – Cat’s Cradle
Oct 27 Asheville NC – Grey Eagle
Oct 28 Knoxville TN – Pilot Light
Oct 29 Charlotte NC – The Evening Muse
Nov 01 Washington DC – IOTA
Nov 02 Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Nov 03 Hoboken NJ – Maxwells
Nov 04 New York NY – Mercury Lounge
Nov 05 Brooklyn NY – Cameo Gallery
Nov 06 Boston MA – TT the Bear’s
Nov 07 Montreal QC – Casa Del Popolo
Nov 08 Toronto ON – Drake
Nov 09 Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Nov 10 Cincinnati OH – MOTR Pub
Nov 11 Chicago IL – Schubas
Nov 12 Milwaukee WI – Cactus Club
Nov 13 Minneapolis MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Nov 14 Omaha NE – Waiting Room
Nov 15 Denver CO – Larimer Lounge
Nov 23 San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill
Nov 25 Los Angeles CA – The Echo
Nov 26 San Diego CA – Casbah
Dec 01 Austin TX – Mohawk
Dec 02 Houston TX – Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
Dec 03 New Orleans LA – One Eyed Jacks
Dec 04 Atlanta GA – The Earl
07/11/11
On October 11, 2011, Crooked Fingers will return to Merge with the release of Breaks in the Armor, available for preorder now on CD and LP in the Merge store. Preorders will ship to arrive on or around the release date. Each preorder will ship with a Breaks in the Armor poster while supplies last, and the first 100 posters will be signed!
Click here to view the embedded video.
Eric Bachmann, who writes, records, and performs songs mainly under the name Crooked Fingers, lives in Athens, Georgia, these days, where he recorded Breaks in the Armor at The Bakery with Matt Yelton (live sound engineer for the Pixies) throughout the winter of 2010/2011, enlisting the help of Liz Durrett on backing vocals. It’s a cohesive and diverse set of songs with less adorned and more direct and affecting arrangements. Beautifully understated, artfully phrased, and ultimately a paean to perseverance, the album seems to suggest that the breaks in the armor are more important than the armor itself.
There’s an undeniable sense of community Bachmann has regained in returning to writing and performing as Crooked Fingers, working with Archers of Loaf and Merge Records again, and moving back to the southeast. In 2011, Archers of Loaf reunited, toured the US, and played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and with the August 2011 reissue of their debut album Icky Mettle, Merge began a series of expanded re-mastered reissues of the band’s four studio albums. Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Preorder Breaks in the Armor on CD or LP in the Merge Store now.
Track Listing:
1. Typhoon
2. Bad Blood
3. The Hatchet
4. The Counterfeiter
5. Heavy Hours
6. Black Candles
7. Went to the City
8. Your Apocalypse
9. War Horses
10. She Tows the Line
11. Our New Favorite
Click here to view the embedded video.
Eric Bachmann, who writes, records, and performs songs mainly under the name Crooked Fingers, lives in Athens, Georgia, these days, where he recorded Breaks in the Armor at The Bakery with Matt Yelton (live sound engineer for the Pixies) throughout the winter of 2010/2011, enlisting the help of Liz Durrett on backing vocals. It’s a cohesive and diverse set of songs with less adorned and more direct and affecting arrangements. Beautifully understated, artfully phrased, and ultimately a paean to perseverance, the album seems to suggest that the breaks in the armor are more important than the armor itself.
There’s an undeniable sense of community Bachmann has regained in returning to writing and performing as Crooked Fingers, working with Archers of Loaf and Merge Records again, and moving back to the southeast. In 2011, Archers of Loaf reunited, toured the US, and played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and with the August 2011 reissue of their debut album Icky Mettle, Merge began a series of expanded re-mastered reissues of the band’s four studio albums. Over the course of the coming year, Bachmann will alternate between touring as Crooked Fingers and with Archers of Loaf, making the most of two distinct and rewarding modes of expression and performance. All of which seems to be exactly where he should be again.
Preorder Breaks in the Armor on CD or LP in the Merge Store now.
Track Listing:
1. Typhoon
2. Bad Blood
3. The Hatchet
4. The Counterfeiter
5. Heavy Hours
6. Black Candles
7. Went to the City
8. Your Apocalypse
9. War Horses
10. She Tows the Line
11. Our New Favorite
06/22/11
The recently reunited Archers of Loaf will make their television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this Friday night! Set your DVRs for June 25 at 12:35 a.m. EDT to tape this historical performance from a band known for its visceral live shows. You won’t want to miss it!
And for those of you in NYC, we have a pair of tickets for the Archers’ “Band Bench” up for grabs! If you are our lucky winner, you and a friend will get to watch the band perform live in the Fallon studios from some of the best seats in the house! Follow Merge on Twitter today for your chance to win.
If you don’t score those tickets, all hope isn’t lost—you can also enter a drawing to win Band Bench seats at www.fallonbandbench.com. Make sure you include band code ARC on your entry form. Good luck!
Pre-order Icky Mettle on CD or limited-edition blue vinyl LP now in the Merge store to receive an exclusive download of live video from the January 2011 show at the Cat’s Cradle as well as a download of the re-mastered original album. Be sure to check our tour page for Archers of Loaf live dates too!
And for those of you in NYC, we have a pair of tickets for the Archers’ “Band Bench” up for grabs! If you are our lucky winner, you and a friend will get to watch the band perform live in the Fallon studios from some of the best seats in the house! Follow Merge on Twitter today for your chance to win.
If you don’t score those tickets, all hope isn’t lost—you can also enter a drawing to win Band Bench seats at www.fallonbandbench.com. Make sure you include band code ARC on your entry form. Good luck!
Pre-order Icky Mettle on CD or limited-edition blue vinyl LP now in the Merge store to receive an exclusive download of live video from the January 2011 show at the Cat’s Cradle as well as a download of the re-mastered original album. Be sure to check our tour page for Archers of Loaf live dates too!
06/03/11
Merge Records will reissue all four Archers of Loaf studio albums, starting with their acclaimed 1993 debut album Icky Mettle on August 2.
Re-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Robert Christgau, Icky Mettle will come with bonus material including the entire Archers of Loaf vs. The Greatest of All Time EP as well as singles and b-sides from the Icky Mettle era. It will be available in stores beginning August 2 on CD, limited-edition blue vinyl and digital download. Reissues of Vee Vee, All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow next year.
Download “What Did You Expect” from an out-of-print Merge 7-inch included on the Icky Mettle reissue
Singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price formed Archers of Loaf in Chapel Hill, NC in 1991. Icky Mettle was the first of four studio albums for the band that seemed to personify what SPIN Magazine deemed “a tremendously optimistic time in underground music, that 15-minute period in the early 1990s when it looked like indie rock really might take over the world.”
After a now famous “secret show” opening for The Love Language at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC last January, Archers of Loaf kicked off their first tour since the fall of 1998 with a sold-out show at the Grey Eagle in their home town of Asheville, NC. A raucous set at the Sasquatch Festival over Memorial Day weekend followed and was captured by NPR Music. The band will perform multiple dates at smaller venues across the country in an effort to replicate the more raw experience for which they are famous.
The band has just announced four additional shows: July 24 at The Earl in Atlanta, August 20 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC, September 8 at MusicfestNW in Portland and September 9 at Neumo’s in Seattle. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, June 4th, with a fan club pre-sale on Friday, June 3rd.
In addition to these dates, Archers of Loaf will make their late night television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on June 24.
Pre-order Icky Mettle on CD or limited-edition blue vinyl LP now in the Merge store to receive an exclusive download of live video from the January 2011 show at the Cat’s Cradle as well as a download of the re-mastered original album.
Listen to the band’s live session for KEXP taped last weekend, and find information about signing up for the Archers of Loaf fan club at their official website. Follow them on Facebook, too!
Archers of Loaf on tour:
June 3 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
June 4 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour SOLD OUT
June 11 Austin, TX Emo’s
June 12 Dallas, TX The LOFT at the Palladium
June 25 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg SOLD OUT
June 26 New York, NY Webster Hall
July 8 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
July 9 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge SOLD OUT
July 22 Atlanta, GA The Earl SOLD OUT
July 23 Atlanta, GA The Earl SOLD OUT
July 24 Atlanta, GA The Earl (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Aug 5 Washington, DC Black Cat SOLD OUT
Aug 6 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle SOLD OUT
Aug 20 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Sept 2 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Sept 3 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Sept 8 Portland, OR Music Fest NW (Just announced)
Sept 9 Seattle, WA Neumo’s (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Re-mastered by Bob Weston and featuring new liner notes by Robert Christgau, Icky Mettle will come with bonus material including the entire Archers of Loaf vs. The Greatest of All Time EP as well as singles and b-sides from the Icky Mettle era. It will be available in stores beginning August 2 on CD, limited-edition blue vinyl and digital download. Reissues of Vee Vee, All the Nation’s Airports and White Trash Heroes will follow next year.
Download “What Did You Expect” from an out-of-print Merge 7-inch included on the Icky Mettle reissue
Singer/guitarist Eric Bachmann, guitarist Eric Johnson, bassist Matt Gentling, and drummer Mark Price formed Archers of Loaf in Chapel Hill, NC in 1991. Icky Mettle was the first of four studio albums for the band that seemed to personify what SPIN Magazine deemed “a tremendously optimistic time in underground music, that 15-minute period in the early 1990s when it looked like indie rock really might take over the world.”
After a now famous “secret show” opening for The Love Language at the Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC last January, Archers of Loaf kicked off their first tour since the fall of 1998 with a sold-out show at the Grey Eagle in their home town of Asheville, NC. A raucous set at the Sasquatch Festival over Memorial Day weekend followed and was captured by NPR Music. The band will perform multiple dates at smaller venues across the country in an effort to replicate the more raw experience for which they are famous.
The band has just announced four additional shows: July 24 at The Earl in Atlanta, August 20 at Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, NC, September 8 at MusicfestNW in Portland and September 9 at Neumo’s in Seattle. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, June 4th, with a fan club pre-sale on Friday, June 3rd.
In addition to these dates, Archers of Loaf will make their late night television debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on June 24.
Pre-order Icky Mettle on CD or limited-edition blue vinyl LP now in the Merge store to receive an exclusive download of live video from the January 2011 show at the Cat’s Cradle as well as a download of the re-mastered original album.
Listen to the band’s live session for KEXP taped last weekend, and find information about signing up for the Archers of Loaf fan club at their official website. Follow them on Facebook, too!
Archers of Loaf on tour:
June 3 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
June 4 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour SOLD OUT
June 11 Austin, TX Emo’s
June 12 Dallas, TX The LOFT at the Palladium
June 25 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg SOLD OUT
June 26 New York, NY Webster Hall
July 8 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge
July 9 Chicago, IL Bottom Lounge SOLD OUT
July 22 Atlanta, GA The Earl SOLD OUT
July 23 Atlanta, GA The Earl SOLD OUT
July 24 Atlanta, GA The Earl (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Aug 5 Washington, DC Black Cat SOLD OUT
Aug 6 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle SOLD OUT
Aug 20 Carrboro, NC Cat’s Cradle (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Sept 2 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Sept 3 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
Sept 8 Portland, OR Music Fest NW (Just announced)
Sept 9 Seattle, WA Neumo’s (On Sale Friday for fan club & Saturday for general public)
Web In Front/Bathroom/Tatyana :: 7" (Alias) 1993
The Results After the Loafs Revenge: What Did You Expect/Ethel Merman :: 7" (Merge) 1994
Vs. the Greatest of All Time :: EP (Alias) 1994
Icky Mettle :: CD/LP (Alias) 1994
Funnelhead/Quinnbeast (split w/ Treepeople) :: 7" (Sonic Bubblegum) 1994
Mutes in the Steeple/Smoking Pot in the Hot City :: 7" (Esther) 1995
Harnessed in Slums :: 7" (Alias) 1995
Vee Vee :: CD/LP (Alias) 1995
All the Nations Airports :: CD/LP (Elektra) 1996
All the Nations Airports :: CD/LP (Alias) 1996
The Speed of Cattle :: CD/LP (Alias) 1996
Vocal Shrapnel/Density :: 7" (Alias) 1996
Jive Kata :: 7" (Alias) 1997
Vitus Tinnitus :: EP (Alias) 1997
White Trash Heroes :: CD/LP (Alias) 1998
Seconds Before the Accident :: CD/LP (Alias) 2000
Icky Mettle (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2011
Vee Vee (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
White Trash Heroes (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
All the Nations Airports (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
The Results After the Loafs Revenge: What Did You Expect/Ethel Merman :: 7" (Merge) 1994
Vs. the Greatest of All Time :: EP (Alias) 1994
Icky Mettle :: CD/LP (Alias) 1994
Funnelhead/Quinnbeast (split w/ Treepeople) :: 7" (Sonic Bubblegum) 1994
Mutes in the Steeple/Smoking Pot in the Hot City :: 7" (Esther) 1995
Harnessed in Slums :: 7" (Alias) 1995
Vee Vee :: CD/LP (Alias) 1995
All the Nations Airports :: CD/LP (Elektra) 1996
All the Nations Airports :: CD/LP (Alias) 1996
The Speed of Cattle :: CD/LP (Alias) 1996
Vocal Shrapnel/Density :: 7" (Alias) 1996
Jive Kata :: 7" (Alias) 1997
Vitus Tinnitus :: EP (Alias) 1997
White Trash Heroes :: CD/LP (Alias) 1998
Seconds Before the Accident :: CD/LP (Alias) 2000
Icky Mettle (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2011
Vee Vee (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
White Trash Heroes (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
All the Nations Airports (Remastered) :: CD/LP (Merge) 2012
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