1. July 2014
The Donkeys Wanna Hang Withya
San Diego’s pride, Mark Twain diggin’, laid back California indie meets ‘hey can I get any chiller really’ The Donkeys are set to bring their recent Ride The Black Wave (Easy Sound Recording Co.) out to hang with you.
Back in early June The Donkey’s Anthony Lukens reminisced with The GTC about making Ride The Black Wave, “I guess the first anecdote I can think of is just how crazy long ago it was when we recorded this thing. But despite all the time (about 26 months) that passed, I can still feel all the gratitude and joy when we were tracking. We were at this beautiful studio called Singing Serpent in San Diego. The kind of room we could never afford . . . you know the huge control room with the glass into the live room and the wood everywhere and ridiculous mic stands that are 25 feet up with ridiculous mics everywhere . . . total toy shop. And the proprietors gave us a total bro deal. So we were in heaven. But meanwhile there was all sorts of turmoil and confusion with our old label -yadda yadda yadda-frustration and just day to day life bullshit. But at night when we’d get together in that room; I remember just thinking that we were so lucky to be there, and if we could honor that and shoot from the heart, we’d make a great record.”
RossHorton reviewing for The Line Best Fit said, “The lighter-than-air delicacy of penultimate track Bahamas is evidence, if any should be needed, that there are some unique ideas on here. The track is so buoyant it’s a definite candidate for album-pick. The title track is another superb, original number with the most downbeat vibe on the record – for that reason alone, it’s noteworthy. I Heart Alabama is a personal favourite – vocalist Sam Sprague is a hop, skip and jump away from becoming Gene Clark, what with his solemn delivery and seductive timbre.”
We say, we dig ‘em and if you dig The Blank Tapes on a slow and low groove or a beach breezy Band of Horses, check out The Donkeys. The new album won’t float everyone’s boat of bananas but it should make for a perfect hazy club experience. We can’t. So say howdy and pass out High Fives to Sam Sprague, Tim DeNardo, Jessie Gulati and Anthony Lukens, have a round of fun and let us know you’re thoughts on the shows!
07-02 – Tempe, AZ – Yucca Tap Room
07-03 – Albuquerque, NM – Low Spirits
07-05 – Norman, OK – Opolis
07-06 – Dallas, TX – Three Links
07-07 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk
07-08 – Houston, TX – Mango’s
07-09 – Baton Rouge, LA – Mud And Water
07-09 – New Orleans, LA – The Beatnik
07-10 – Birmingham, AL – Parkside
07-11 – Athens, GA – The World Famous
07-12 – Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light
07-13 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
07-14 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar upstairs (early show!)
07-15 – Philadelphia, PA – Boot & Saddle
07-16 – Brooklyn, NY – The Knitting Factory
07-17 – Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose
07-18 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland
07-19 – Chicago, IL – The Hideout
07-20 – Kansas City, MO – The recordBar
07-21 – Denver, CO – Hi-Dive
07-22 – Salt Lake City – Urban Lounge
07-23 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
07-24 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
07-25 – Victoria BC – Continental Square
07-26 – Vancouver Island, BC – Rock Of The Woods Music Festival
07-28 – Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
07-29 – Seattle, WA – The Sunset Tavern
07-30 – Eugene, OR – Cozmic Pizza
08-01 through 03 – Happy Valley, OR – Pickathon
08-16 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
09-06 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Ride the wave, the black one over here…