Tag Archives: The Black Swans

WHY? kickoff U.S. tour in Cincinnati last night

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Ohio’s WHY? kicked off the U.S. leg of their world tour at The Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art in Cincinnati last night. Hot on the heels of two 2012 releases – the Sod in the Seed EP (August) and Mumps, etc. (October) – WHY? were greeted with great warmth by their hometown crowd.

Now with an added drummer and two female musicians/vocalists, the band played in horseshoe formation to a sold-out audience. WHY? performed in the Black Box Theatre of the aforementioned art center. It was a tranquil environment – a lovely place to see them play before their hometown crowd (the Wolf Brothers and multi-instrumentalist Doug McDiarmid all went to Walnut Hills High School in Cincinnati).
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The Black Swans Late Summer Tour Supporting “Occasion for Song”

The Black Swans latest album, Occasion for Song, was released this and is, as per their quality control, already getting lots of great reaction. While you’re at it, read this interview with Jerry DeCicca over at No Depression and plan on hitting one of these shows:

08/24/12 Columbus, OH Rumba
08/25/12 Toledo, OH The Ottawa Tavern
08/27/12 Pittsburgh, PA Thunderbird Cafe
08/30/12 Brooklyn, NY The Rock Shop
09/01/12 Providence, RI Fete Lounge
09/04/12 Washington, D.C. Sixth and I Historic Synagogue
09/08/12 Nashville, TN High Watt
09/11/12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
09/12/12 Bloomington, IN The Bishop

Additional dates supporting Why? to be announced soon.

Four years since the passing of Noel Sayre

Today marks the four year anniversary of Noel Sayre’s passing. A luminary in the Ohio underground, Noel played violin for Columbus Ohio’s Pretty Mighty Mighty and Black Swans. He also performed with the West Virginia and Portsmouth Symphony orchestras and worked as a guitar and violin teacher.

Sayre was in a swimming accident on July 1, 2008. After going on life support, he passed away on July 3, 2008. He was a gentle, wildly talented soul and is sorely missed by many.

Listen: The Black Swans “Portsmouth, Ohio”

The Black Swans are wasting no time, releasing a second album in as many years on Misra Records. Titled Occasion For Song, it comes out July 16 and “deals with the death of founding member and violinist Noel Sayre. Noel died tragically in a swimming accident in Portsmouth, Ohio – July of 2008”

The first song being streamed, “Portsmouth Ohio”, chronicles the day of Noel’s death. Listen below and keep reading for upcoming tour dates.

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Video: Kelley Deal covers The Black Swans

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Here’s the Breeders’ Kelley Deal covering the Black Swans song “Slide on Down” from the album Change. On accordion is Christie Hunt and Paige Bellar of the Dayton band “Jasper the Colossal” is on electric.

You can catch Kelley Deal’s newish band R. Ring Friday at Skully’s, part of the Ohio Film + Music Festival.

Jerry DeCicca from The Black Swans on Richard Buckner

MP3: Richard Buckner – Escape

Editor’s note: In anticipation of Richard Buckner’s long-awaited Our Blood, out today (8/2) on Merge Records, I asked Buckner fan Jerry DeCicca of The Black Swans (a band that has shared the stage with Buckner) to say a few words about the man:

I’m submitting this text as my end of a barter: I received the new Richard Buckner album, Our Blood, several months before its release in exchange for typing about it for this “website.” Summation, however, isn’t really my bag and, for Buckner, I have no critical eye. Instead, I’ll state why I made this agreement and try not to gush much.

Long ago, in a pre-Internet world, I became a Buckner-head, tracked him cross-country whenever word spread of a show. The road was his home, so opportunity abound! Then, he was something of a folksinger, or maybe he just sounded like one because he played an acoustic guitar. Like Mark Eitzel, Vic Chestnutt, and Mark Linkous, he used language and a guitar in a way that made everyone else sound square and safe and dumb. He channeled Creeley and cummings and William Carlos Williams and Townes Van Zandt and the mountains. Every record released was an event. Collaborators ranged from Butch Hancock and Lloyd Maines to Calexico to Marc Ribot and Dave Schramm to a Canadian (future ex-wife) drummer. Continue reading

The Black Swans Return to Daytrotter

The Black Swans return to Daytrotter for another great session. Songs include Don’t Blame the Stars, Rooster, and Mean Medicine.

Daytrotter illustration by Johnnie Cluney

New Columbus videos: The Black Swans, The Lost Revival

The videos from The Black Swans’ Don’t Blame the Stars just keep on coming. Today Paste premiered “Mean Medicine,” directed by Sam Craighead and Paul Rentler. Catch the Swans’ Jerry DeCicca with Southeast Engine‘s Adam Remnant on their living room tour. Dates, details at Misra.

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The Lost Revival‘s new video for “Cotton and Lace” was shot, edited and directed by Monolithic Cloud Parade‘s Corey Fry, and “filmed over the course of two separate very sweaty evenings in Columbus, Ohio with a Canon T2i.” Kevin Collins and crew will be at Comfest’s Offramp stage at 6:30pm Saturday.

Video: The Black Swans “Joe Tex”

The Black Swans have put together a lot of great videos for their new album, Don’t Blame the Stars, but “Joe Tex” just might be my favorite. Check it out and then read this review they just got on Pitchfork.

This week in Columbus: Foals, Southeast Engine, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Swag Like Ohio w/ Lil B

Wednesday, 4/27:
MP3: Foals – Spanish Sahara
Foals, Freelance Whales, The Naked and the Famous @ Outland (sold out; when did Foals get so popular?)
Steel Train (CD101 Low Dough show) @ The Basement
Cleveland Invasion w/ Delurium, Evasion, Fuzz, Carma/Attak, Cornelius Jackson @ Circus
The N.E.C. @ Cafe Bourbon St.

Thursday, 4/28:
MP3: Southeast Engine – New Growth
Southeast Engine, Black Swans @ The Treehouse
sun drop, vug and the stallions, ghost shirt @ carabar
Dead Set Ready, Beggars, JFK Didn’t Even See It Coming, Ignorant Mo Fo’s @ Circus

Friday, 4/29:
MP3: Fly Union (feat. GLC) – “Top of the World”
KVLT of the rejected adult, Mike Carney, txtbk @ Skully’s
Lil B the Based God & “Swag Like Ohio” tour: Lil B, Fly Union, Freaky Franz, Cornelius Jackson, Kreg & Dez, Kingpin, Johnny Cashola @ The Newport
Ax Cx with Bastards, Scavenger, Drug Money @ The Summit
steam boat, nathan snell and the country sounds @ carabar
The Energy Clinic, Lionel the Jailbird, Your Average Criminals, Onironaut @ Circus
Independents day kickoff @ Kobo
Title Tracks (ex-members of Q and Not U) @ The Treehouse
The Wet Darlings, Molehill, Yellow Light Maybe @ Rumba
Discount Tents, The Energy Clinic, Dream Sequence, Jimmy’s Pizza, SunGlass, Leafridge Armory, Jim Cassell @ Scarlet & Grey
Karate Coyote, Chelsea Automatic @ A&R Music Bar

Saturday, 4/30:
Stream: Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Belong”
Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Twin Shadow, Weakness @ The Basement
Wex Off the Grid: Shuttle (Nate from Passion Pit – DJ set), Shin Tower Music, DJ Patrick (OGee) @ Wexner Center
andrew graham, dane terry @ carabar

Sunday, 5/1:
The Appleseed Cast, Old Worlds @ The Summit

Monday, 5/2:
Cowtown Round: Megan Palmer, Jenny Lute, Jason Quicksall @ Rumba

More shows welcome in the comments. The “Columbus” tab up top is an easy way to return to this post, and don’t forget about Touring Bands Visiting Ohio. Death Cab and Devo shows just announced.