Southern Souls Pt. 1: …and then the Tazer came out.

Here’s us playing Don a Veil in a building at the CNE.

A very special thanks to the security guard who watched us play the ENTIRE SONG before giving us a stern lecture. And then telling us he liked our music. And then a little more lecture.

And, of course, the incredible Mitch Fillion of Southern Souls who shot the whole thing.

There’s another song with Mitch in the works, so stay tuned!

NXNE Happiness; Homer, Ozzie & the Straw

We are so, so pleased with our friends at NXNE right now. They’ve decided that we should play at our beloved Dakota Tavern on Saturday night.

As if that weren’t enough, they’ve paired us up with Kill Rock Stars’ Horse Feathers and ACTUAL (North) Dakotans Secret Cities, both of whom we’re big fans of, but have yet to meet in person. Also on the bill, our friends New Country Rehab, U.K. duo Smoke Fairies, Montreal’s Chris Velan and Toronto’s Bellewoods. Not to mention the fact that the Handsome Furs are going to be playing a set across the street at the Garrison right before we go on.

On a 100% unrelated note, props to Fuzzy Logic Recordings. Not only are they a great record label, but they’ve been organizing softball games all spring (as in years past), and this has made me really happy.

Shows!

All right, so we gave you a teaser but now you get the whole thing. We’re playing on April 1st – for real! – at the El Mocambo (464 Spadina) with an amazing, ridiculous lineup: Ketch Harbour Wolves, Parks & Rec and Revelstoke.

Yup, we’re really excited too.
Tell us you’re coming!

Before that, though, we’ve got a good ol’ party lined up at the Painted Lady (218 Ossington) this Thursday, March 24th, as in tomorrow. We’ll be sharing the stage with Eamon McGrath, Brodie Dakin and Joel Battle. The Facebook event for that one is right here.

Come hang out with us, won’t you?

Concert footage from the Rivoli show. Also, lots more shows.

Check it out! It’s a video of us playing stuff!

Entire Cities – Wired: Episode 43 from THE iNDiE MACHiNE on Vimeo.

So, a few more shows, too.

This Saturday, the 12th, Simon’s gonna play a solo set along with his favourite songwriter ever of all time, Nich Worby at Opera Bob’s, right next to the Lakeview.

The next night, the 13th, we’re gonna play the Painted Lady for CMW at 10 o’clock. Come if you’ve got a wristband. If not, don’t support crappy corporate festivals. Just don’t.

We’re gonna play the Painted Lady again on March 24th with Eamon McGrath and Brodie Dakin. That’s gonna be much better.

BUT! If you can only come to one Entire Cities show in the next, I dunno, three or four weeks, come to the El Mocambo on April 1st (no joke)! It’s gonna be a killer line up, more info soon.

Whoever this was…

To whoever found this website by searching for “joyious, effectual people”:

I like you.

Thanks Ottawa, Kingston & Windsor! Look out, Toronto!

Of course we’re stoked for our record-setting 2 hour set at our friends’ wedding this weekend. Of course we’re psyched for the Public City 2 Year Anniversary Party next weekend (it’s totally a public party BTW, come meet swanky industry types and help us show ’em what us scrappy kids can do). Of course we’re excited about CMW and NXNE, and a string of sweet shows we’ve got lined up for the spring.

*ahem*

But I wanna pause for a sec and think over the last two weekends of awesomeness. Getting another post from the BEST (and most under appreciated) music blog that we know of, B(oot)log; hanging out with our dear dear Apple Crisp friends in Kingston, and singing Born to Run to TWELVE CRAZY PEOPLE WHO’D DRIVEN FROM NEW JERSEY JUST TO SEE THE SHOW. I don’t, I mean, uh… wow. Just wow.

Then our show at the Imperial Pub (YES IT IS A MUSIC VENUE) with our good buddy (and my songwriting hero), Rueben deGroot. I CANNOT say enough good things about the concert series 50 River Concerts, and especially the driving force behind it, Holly Andruchuk. It’s so good to meet people who (despite their choice of headliners for the evening), are so clearly interest in doing the right thing right. True musical believers.

*swoon*

Then, back to (somewhere in the general vicinity of) my hometown Ottawa, with our label mates (and crushes) Wildlife, where we not only saw old friends and got to play the great stage at Live Lounge , but learned that night that we had been featured by the New York Times, nay, the Pitchfork, of Alt-Country, No Depression. I think I audibly squealed.

And to top it all off, Windsor. Was it crazy to play a show four hours from home on Super Bowl Sunday? Abso-fucking-lutely. But we’re crazy for the Phog Lounge, we’re off our medication for promoter Richard Kasoian’s new band Frontiers, and we’re just generally licking the walls for playing music to anybody anywhere.

There was a fella there in Windsor taking photos of us named Ron Marston. He’s so good at what he does that, that night, he took a picture that not only sums up the last two weeks, but tells the whole story of Entire Cities, at least the way I’ve seen it.

A Bunch of Shows Coming Up!

First, Jan 29 at the Mansion in Kingston with the New Country Rehab, part of the Apple Crisp Music Series. Here’s Facebook.

Then, Feb 3 at the Imperial Pub in Toronto with Rueben deGroot, part of the 50 River Concert Series. Here’s Facebook.

Then, Feb 4 at Live Lounge in Ottawa with our buddies Wildlife, through Audiocassettetape Productions. Here’s Facebook.

Then, Feb 6 at Phog Lounge in Windsor with Frontiers & the Rheostats. Here’s Facebook.

Then, Feb 12, a wedding! You’re probably not invited, though.

Then, Feb 19 at the Rivoli in Toronto with Fast Romantics and the Ascot Royals, celebrating Public City‘s 2 year anniversary. FB to come.

Release Party This Thursday!

Here’s the facebook event.

Why sleep when we could have another band practice?

Seriously though guys, I just spent a week and a half in my childhood bedroom. I need some rock concert real bad.

Release Plans

So, as I’m sure you already know, our new record I Hope You Never Come Home is now available at our favourite little Canadian indie digital music store Zunior, and you can get either the digital version, OR the actual real CD, with amazing artwork through Bandcamp.

This is, of course, all a prelude to our sweet, sweet CD release party January 6th, 2010.

For those of you who, for whatever reason, don’t want to save money AND support the lovely folks at Zunior, or see all your hard earned money go directly to the band through Bandcamp, the record will be available through all the major e-retailers (iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, etc.) in a few days.

We’ve also got plans to re-release our debut EP Centralia, and we’ll be making the much-coveted white vinyl special edition of 2008’s Deep River available for mail order.

Photo: Adam Anklewicz

Thanks, the Indie Machine!

From The Indie Machine:

Ever lay in the back of a flatbed truck with five of your friends as you ramble up the side of a mountain en route to a forest of refer? Dance in a barnyard only to discover it’s your bedroom? Wheel around drunk in a joyous rage in the middle of a thunderstorm? It’s transcendental moments like these that turn into epic memories, scoring the soundtrack of your life. Entire Cities new album I Hope You Never Come Home possesses this effectual quality of familiarity that undoubtedly comes from their affinity for nostalgia with tell-tale lyrics narrating this proverbial trip down memory lane. Ironically, the title contradicts exactly what this album feels like: a good old fashioned warm welcome home.

Anthemic from the opening track Bruise Black, the peaks and valleys traversed rise and fall with crescendo after epic crescendo, from scrublands to highlands, resonating perfectly with each knee-slapping, boot-stomping, slow-dancing epithet. Spirited and whimsical, light hearted yet heady, Zombie Song (Dream Logic)captures this wistful paradox as a pseudo Memento Mori, a reminder of our mortality in its apocalyptic celebration of life; nothing like a crashing wall of sound to get the point across. Tower captures this build-it-up-to-burn-it-down mentality that echoes across the entire landscape of the album. And just when you thought it was safe to settle in, the calm before the storm suddenly gives way to an ethereal odyssey through varying time signatures and textured harmonies that catapult you straight into this beautiful frenzy of madness and tranquility. Closing with Predator Song, that calm returns with this hymnal prayer invoking the spirit of those distant yet distinct memories of laying around in a flatbed truck with five friends, reminding us we will always be welcome home. Amen to that.

NICOLE PROFOUS