I grew up with a healthy distaste for any sounds resembling the driving forces behind hippie dancing. Grateful Dead? FUCK no. Jefferson Airplane? Eat shit and die.

Luckily, I’ve gotten a little longer in the tooth and just when it hits me that I’ve been living in a cave for 22 years, I hear Citay and am instantly whisked away to the lush hills of the Bay, wincing at sea winds with a rucksack full of provisions, thumbing my way to the city to catch this band live.

The group has harnessed an enchanting multi-guitar soothe, with layered harmonies and lush musicianship. Vocalist Ezra Feinberg’s subtle, breathy vocals illuminate the scenery, and elevate the songs’ mystical plateaus.

It would be easy to compare the band to The Dead, if only by way of their proximity to Haight Ashbury. But psychedelic is too tame a description. Jammy is just plain unfair. If anything, the band’s affinity for ’60s psychedelia mixed with their pedigree in such bands as The Fucking Champs, Tussle, Crime In Choir, The Dry Spells, Meridians, 3 Leafs, Galactic Bunz and Sweet Potatoe, has made them wholly aware of the nuances required to emerge out from those hulking declarations. We’re gonna have to go ahead and ask that you listen to this band.

Upcoming show dates are as follows:

Bill and I went to MacWorld 2008 in San Francisco this week. Video interviews are on their way up on our Brand Channel on Youtube. Check this one out with DJ Destiny, the Sacramento Kings’ DJ, talking about the latest and illest in DJ technology from the iSkin booth… era-era-siiiiiiiiick!

I don’t know if any of you have ever heard a person in a successful, touring band say what a tough life they have, how it’s hard to adjust to being home and thought to yourself, what a fucking asshole, it must be really hard to be making money and playing shows for tons of people every night. Well, it is. Granted, it’s definitely one of the best jobs ever, you get to see so many different things and even when you’re not in the band, just with them, it’s amazing to see people that love to come to shows and watch music. But I sometimes wonder what I’ve done to myself. Why have I chosen a career path that calls for me to be gone nine months out of the year, put my personal life on hold and risk my health and sanity? The best answer to that question is really answered best with another question. Why would I not do this? In the coming eight weeks I will be making my way across the country in a tour bus with some of my best friends, and some soon to be new friends, and will be documenting as much as humanly possible here. Come to a show, hang out with us, join in on one of the many after show dance parties and support touring bands, gas is damned expensive now.

Emery Headlining Tour
w/ Mayday Parade, As Cities Burn, Pierce The Veil & Cry Of The Afflicted

January-
29- Nashville, TN Rocketown
30- Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
31- Chicago, IL The Metro
February-
1- Cleveland, OH Agora Ballroom
2- Detroit, MI St. Andrew’s Hall
4- Madison, WI Majestic Theatre
5- St. Paul, MN Station 4
6- Omaha, NE Sokol Underground
7- Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
8- Denver, CO Marquis Theatre
9- Salt Lake City, UT The Avalon
11- Seattle, WA Showbox (At The Market)
12- Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
13- Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk
14- San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
15- Los Angeles, CA The Troubadour
16- San Diego, CA SOMA
17- Pomona, CA the Glasshouse
18- Las Vegas, NV Jillian’s
19- Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater
20- Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
22- San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
23- McAllen, TX El Rey Theatre
24- Houston, TX Meridian Red Room
25- Dallas, TX The Door
26- Tulsa, OK The Otherside
27- Sauget, IL Pop’s
29- Cincinnati, OH The Underground
March-
1- Buffalo, NY Xtreme Wheels
2- Pittsburg, PA Mr. Small’s Theatre
3- New York, NY Blender Theater
5- Worcester, MA The Palladium
6- Towson, MD Recher Theatre
7- Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero
8- Richmond, VA The National
11- Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
12- St. Petersburg, FL State Theater
13- Orlando, FL The Social
14- Orlando, FL The Social
15- Pensacola, FL American Legion Hall, Post 33
16- Little Rock, AR Juanita’s Cantina
17- Joplin, MO The Foundry
19- Louisville, KY Headliners
20- Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
21- Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
22- Greenville, SC The Handlebar

Liars is kinda hit or miss for me, but I really dug that Brocken Witch album. However, I’ve heard their live shows are something of a spectacle. The group recently wrapped up an arena tour in support of Interpol and Liars frontman Angus Andrew described the experience as follows:

“When we last toured the States it was quite royally. Interpol laid out a magic carpet ride that took us from one historic venue to another. The whole experience was a mind-blowing orgy of music and memories.”

Memories, dude. The New York Times was similarly stoked on the experience.

“[Liars] worked the Garden stage like rock stars… with Andrew strutting and gesticulating in a white suit and a big, relentless beat, Liars sounded at home as arena-rock.”

For the Liars US tour, they’ll be cramming that big arena energy into smaller venues, thereby throwing it all up in your face. The group will stop at Slim’s in San Francisco, The Casbah in San Diego (great venue, by the way), Metro in Chicago and Warsaw in Brooklyn on their jaunt across the US. Los Angeles band No Age will be in support. Dates after the jump. (more…)

The Great Lawn, Treasure Island, CA
Saturday, Sept. 16th
Photos by Ryan Prado

Read the full review at Synthesis.net. Photos of Ghostland Observatory, M.I.A. and Thievery Corporation after the jump. (more…)

Check out Video Matt’s interview with New York post-spocks The Honorary Title at the San Francisco stop of their current tour with Cartel. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hurl. When you’re done, I’m gonna need you to go ahead and watch the 234239 other videos currently featured on our fucking fantabulous YOUTUBE CHANNEL including interviews with the aforementioned Cartel, Paramore, The Fall of Troy, and basically anyone else you would see at The Warped Tour. YA HEARD?