Releases
Howler - America Give Up instores january 17th, 2012
From the city that brought you the Replacements and the ears that brought the world The Strokes and The Smiths, Rough Trade Records is excited to announce the forthcoming debut album from Howler, America Give Up on January 17, 2012.
Howler is the brainchild of 19-year-old frontman Jordan Gatesmith. Last winter Gatesmith had been playing guitar for the Minneapolis band, Total Babe but the overwhelming desire to create his own songs, in his own band, prompted him to hole up with his laptop and guitar and within weeks he had written the tracks that became the genesis for the band’s debut EP This One’s Different.
Almost as quickly he found the people to play them with. Joining Jordan in Howler are Ian Nygaard (guitar), France Camp (bass), Max Petrek (keyboards) and Brent Mayes (drums).
The band began playing in Minneapolis and it wasn’t long before Rough Trade Records founder Geoff Travis heard about Howler, saw them play, and signed them to the label. This sudden onslaught of attention began in the UK, with glowing praise from the NME and BBC radio, followed by a month long U.S. tour, and the recording of America Give Up. “Irreverent and drenched in the classics” is how Travis describes them.
They will begin a New York residency during release week and then a full U.S. / Canada headline tour starting March at SXSW through April 2012.
Dec12th Rolling Stone premiered the brand new video for Back Of Your Neck.
The band has just announced dates for the new year, including March 27th at Vancouver`s Media Club, April 5th in Toronto at The Drake Hotel and April 6th in Montreal at Le Divan Orange.
Begining January 9th the album will be streaming at NPR as part of their First Listen.
Currently on the cover of The Fly, the band will soon grace the cover of NME.
For more information, please visit www.howlerband.com
“Believe the hype…2012 could be theirs”. – NME
“Howler (is) a delightfully disaffected surf-punk quartet… If a handful of promising MP3s are any indication, there’s a high ceiling for these little punks.” – The Onions’ AV Club
“…plays like an experiment to balance the loud and dirty qualities of Hüsker Du and the Replacements with the poppy hooks of the Ronettes and Shangri-Las.” – CMJ
“…Even in the venue’s notoriously shabby confines and with rainwater pouring in through the ceiling, Howler burned bright….(they) tore through their eight-song catalog, including all five EP tracks and three new ones just to confirm that the EP was no fluke. As on record, live the band may be a bit rough around the edges, but they play with an uncommon confidence.” – Minneapolis City Pages
Howler is the brain child of Jordan Gatesmith. The 19 year old picked up the guitar only 5 years ago, and learned quickly. After being the guitarist for several regionally successful projects, Jordan felt like it was time for his voice to be heard, and wanted to write and sing his own songs. He has always had a natural
affinity towards early 60’s American rock and pop songs, as well as 80’s punk, he makes these influences his own.
Jordan claims to be terribly A.D.D. and needs to be working all the time. Fortunately for music fans he is not medicated for it, so he is constantly creating. After starting a new band each week for about 2 months straight Howler became the clear standout, and offered up the This One’s Different E.P. Jordan decribes
Howler as “an 80’s punk band cleaned up just enough so you could stick a corsage on it and take it to prom.” His vocals sound like a slightly twee Lux Interior, while his guitar skills remind one of Lou Reed on Transformer. Howler’s overall sound can be described as a cross between the Cramps and the Replacements, with a dash of VU. Jordan has since been joined by Max Petrek on keyboard, Brent Mayes on drums, and most recently the great Ian Nygaard on guitar.
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