Garage-Folk Duo
We’re back in town after our East Coast tour and it’s about time we gave Tortoise an Official sendoff! It’s an early show, so you can come out, catch out set around 8:30, then still be in bed curled up with a good book and a glass of scotch by 11:30!
Thursday, June 9 / 8pm
The Tranzac (main hall)
Win tickets AND a copy of both Tortoise and Anna Atkinson‘s awesome new album, Mooniture from Snob’s Music!
CBC Radio 3 has always shown us some very helpful support. We just got word that “Southern Ontario” has been added to the Radio 3 rotation, so get over there and request it!
Speaking of Radio 3, it’s also currently the only spot you can hear all of Tortoise in its entirety! Take a listen on our page there, then support us by buying the album from one of these fine retailers below:
This one’s for the gear-heads, like me*. We’re back from the East Coast and have some downtime between shows, so I figure it’s high time for a demonstration of all the wacky effect pedals we tour with. This is the actual rig used at a bunch of shows this year.
EDIT: the VW pedal is a Phase 45, not 90. Slip of the tongue.
I learned how to build these effects with the help of various online forums, like:
http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/
The Tiny Giant amp circuit board is from http://www.musicpcb.com.
The intro and outro music is from our most pedal-heavy song, “Slow Boat to China,” from our brand new album, Tortoise.
We’re not shy about being damn proud of Tortoise. That bravado has been given a shot in the arm lately too, as we’ve been flattered by some resoundingly great press. Here are the most recent quotes:
“This Toronto, ON duo deem their sound “garage folk.” Judging by this charming second album, that’s pretty accurate. Their sparse, folk-based material is shot through with enough rock’n’roll energy to keep things from ever getting twee.” – Exclaim!
“…the Toronto duo’s strength lies in taking the musical and vocal stylings of folk and stripping them of their earnestness, replacing it with garage rock’s breezy slackerdom and a well-honed sense of fun.” – Sound On The Sound (Seattle)
“With this record, the two of them have succeeded in creating folk music that stands out in the crowd, which is pretty tough to do. Off hand, I can’t really think of anyone who’s got a similar sound to them, which is really a great thing. The ten songs on Tortoise vary slightly in their style and in the textures utilized, from soft beauties like Laura’s Song, to more rollicking tunes like the title track. As a whole though, the record is one big package of charming music that you’re sure to enjoy.” – Sound Vat
“All in all this album is a fantastic piece of work from start to finish.” – Grayowl Point
Thanks for the support everyone!
Our new album is finally out today! We’re really proud of Tortoise and appreciate all your support. Here are a couple quick snippets from around the internet:
“Blending folk tradition and rock embellishments, the duo’s subtle and charming tunes are perfect for relaxed, summer afternoons in the backyard.” – Quick Before It Melts
“They are more than a boy / girl folk duo. Loops, noise, more upbeat melodies and the sage like production of Andy Magoffin make Tortoise surprisingly invigorating and danceable.” – Herohill
Buy CD and digital from Zunior | Bandcamp | iTunes | emusic
If you can’t tell, we’re incredibly excited and appreciate any help spreading the word. Thanks guys!
The tour is going very well! We’ve played a lot of shows and hung out with some amazing folks. Expect video/audio clips soon!
Also, it’s always fun to see where some of our many dog skull paintings have ended up. The owners of the house where we played/loafted around outside Ottawa last week bought one of the very first paintings a few years ago. It now holds a revered spot in their new home as kitchen art for their cats (not sure if the cats are being scared into eating, or if they just get a kick out of seeing a dog skull…). A couple of wonderful people at that show actually bought the last remaining painting too, so look out for a new batch.
Speaking of animals, we’re currently lazing around Port Greville, Nova Scotia at the home of Construction & Destruction, spending time in the rain amongst the dogs and cats. We’ve been travelling to shows together, which has been very, very helpful. Tonight we’re all at Baba’s in Charlottetown.
Oh, and no big deal or anything, but Tortoise officially comes out tomorrow!
Zunior.com is pretty much the best thing going when it comes to independent Canadian music—a volunteer-based online store run by a few music-lovers (including yours truly) dedicated to showcasing the best independent Canadian music. That’s why we’ve chosen to give Zunior an exclusive early release of Tortoise.
Grab an MP3 download of the album here for $8.88 or choose the CD with MP3 option to get the best of both worlds!
Oh, speaking of Tortoise, here’s the first full review of the album from Toronto’s Snobsmusic.net. Woo!
In honour of our tour kickoff tonight with Pat LePoidevin at The Tranzac in Toronto, here’s a free download of the title-track of our upcoming album, Tortoise!
More raucous than the previously posted “Southern Ontario,” Mathias of The Burning Hell called this one a “garage-rock anthem.”
Listen below or click the black arrow to download it!
Remember a few weeks back when we went to Joey Bruni‘s farm to shoot performance videos for Tortoise? Well, here we are with Anna Atkinson playing “Southern Ontario” live on an old tractor!
Speaking of which, press for Tortoise is starting to roll in and They Wounded Jukebox had some very flattering things to say about “Southern Ontario” (and us in general). They also posted the track for download on Soundcloud, which you can listen to below or click the arrow on the right side to grab it for later.
We also added both it and “Tortoise” to our CBC Radio 3 page, so head over there to become a fan and take a listen!
With Tortoise almost here (we picked up the finished hard copies this week—they look great!) we’re heading on tour across eastern Canada to spread the word.
Not only that, but we’re lucky to be playing with some great bands like Pat LePoidevin, Construction & Destruction (our recent cover of a song of theirs can be heard here) and Laura Peek!
Check out the dates below and make it out if you can (those of you out west, don’t worry, we’re hoping to make it that way soon too!):