HE IS WE will hit the road as headliners in May & June on the GIVE IT ALL tour with support from Deas Vail, Plug In Stereo and South Jordan.
The five week cross-country jaunt which includes a slot at Bamboozle marks the first tour since releasing their Skip To The Good Part EP in late December.
Sure to be heard during each night's HIW set will be "Our July In The Rain" from the new EP and both "Blame It On The Rain" and "Happily Ever After" from their My Forever album (both videos have over a million views):
Pairing the He from The We with the He known as Plug In Stereo will result in a stereophonic tremor of Trevors.
Trevor Kelly from He Is We will be pseudo-shadowed by opener Trevor Dahl (aka Plug In Stereo) whom will inspire cacophonous sing-alongs during his sugary-sweet "Oh Darling" (minus the inimitable Cady Groves):
However, Mr. Dahl separately paired up with Ms. Groves for an impromptu hotel room karaoke session knocking out quickie covers of Ke$ha "Blow" and Adele "Rolling In The Deep":
Having seen He Is We last summer at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, I highly suggest catching one of the shows.
Hearing the crowd sing along to every word of every song at the top of their lungs is, alone, worth the low dough price of admission (advance tix for the LA show are $12).
It will be an evening for All To Give It All because...
Fly's in the buttermilk, shoo, shoo, shoo.
Skip to my Lou, Oh Darlin'
HE IS WE
2012 Tour Dates
May 02 - Varsity Theater Minneapolis, MN
May 03 - The Rave Bar Milwaukee, WI
May 04 - The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
May 05 - The Pyramid Scheme Grand Rapids, MI
May 06 - Musica Akron, OH
May 08 - Rocketown Nashville, TN
May 09 - Masquerade Atlanta, GA
May 10 - The Social Orlando, FL
May 11 - Local 662 St Petersburg, FL
May 12 - Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL
May 14 - Tremont Music Hall - Casbah Charlotte, NC
May 15 - Jewish Mother Virginia Beach, VA
May 16 - Ottobar Baltimore, MD
May 17 - The Note West Chester, PA
May 20 - Bamboozle Asbury Park, NJ
May 22 - Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA
May 23 - The Loft Lansing, MI
May 24 - The Basement Columbus, OH
May 25 - Emerson Theatre Indianapolis, IN
May 26 - The Blue Moose Tap House Iowa City, IA
May 27 - Sokol Underground Omaha, NE
May 29 - Marquis Theatre Denver, CO
May 30 - The Complex | Grand Room Salt Lake City, UT
Jun 01 - The Nile Mesa, AZ
Jun 02 - Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
Jun 03 - Troubadour Los Angeles, CA
Jun 05 - Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Jun 06 - El Corazon Seattle, WA
With fertile plains and mountains grand. With lakes and rivers clear,
Eternal beauty, thos dost stand...
But, really, tell me...is it your spacious skies?
Your proximity to the Aurora Borealis?
Is there a lil somthin' somthin' in the potash?
Is LaBatt's brewing a special strain of potassium carbonate?
Over the years, you continually export iconic female singers with great regularity; Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, Sass Jordan, Tegan & Sara, Lights, Melissa Auf der Maur, Kathleen Edwards, Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt, Joni Mitchell, Buffy Sainte-Marie, KD Lang, Diana Krall, Nelly Furtado, Alannah Myles, Frazey Ford, Serena Ryder, Esthero and Geddy Lee...ok maybe he just sounds like a woman.
You also provide a fertile environment for Montreal native CELLESTE and her brand of ballsy blues-soaked gut-check Bron-Y-Aur stomp that makes one imagine what would have been if Janis Joplin (and not Paul Rodgers) had been joined at the hip with maestro Jimmy Page to metamorphosize into the quasi-natural dynamic duo deemed Overlords in a Bad Company called THE FIRM of Rock 'N Roll.
Did someone sprinkle "pot ash" on my Corn Flakes?
Are Porn Flakes the Lebkuchen du jour?
Or is my mind's eye too close to the thermosphere?
Inspired by the rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s and with a gritty voice reminiscent of Linda Perry, Sheryl Crow, Joss Stone, Tina Turner and Joan Jett, Celleste's music is a blend of rock, folk, blues and pop, a melting pot that she likes to call “Modern Classic Rock”.
Celleste elaborates, "I’d often hear Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin coming through my older brother’s door, while my dad was playing Chet Atkins tunes in the basement...it was a great environment to grow up in, and obviously influenced who I am today."
While her debut album READY TO FLY is chock full of blustery riffs as heard on its 8+ minute Led Zep 'Ramble On' meets Triumph 'Magic Power' title track and its rip-roaring "Real Love," its sonic palette is colored more by the Black Crowes' shake of "Drive," the Hammond B3 propelled gospel revue "What Are We Waiting For" and the folksy mandolin stroll of "Say What You Want" which serve as a passageway to its emotional center that is "Beyond Words".
With the lingering reverb of a luscious piano melody layered against the deftly orchestrated refrain "You have given me so much, A Love beyond, A Timeless bond," its shadow is its cloak.
Something's at the edge of your mind, you don't know what it is
Something you were hoping to find, but your not sure what it is
Then you hear the music and it all comes crystal clear
The music does the talking, says the things you want to hear
Celleste's music shall provide the wind beneath your wings...
With glowing hearts we see thee rise, the True North strong and free...
We realize we've been following in your footsteps for the past 1800 years or so but since we're aligned with Mars we get to light up all the stars. You, being Luna, can project your dark side of the moon to reflect our glory of the Holy to the aggregated masses forming a darling parade.
While Pope Gregory XIII (1502-1585) of Bologna, Italy reformed the Julian calendar in 1582 to become the reflectively named Gregorian calendar, Pope Cassadee I (b. 8/28/89) of West Palm Beach, FL has spent her brief papal amassing a faithful congregation with the delicious exquisiteness of her expertly crafted pop punk nuggets, anthems to sing all year round.
It, typically, is rare to find a Pope hanging out at a rock club but the lure of the City of Angels beckons even the mightiest to the glitter of the hallowed Sunset.
Late last year, a Hey Monday Christmas EP, with a rendition of "O Holy" sung by the Pope, was released to the masses for a suggested donation of 396 cents. After a nascent Gregorian year was ushered in, the Pope declared she was going to go on sabbatical from her Monday mission.
A new mission was born. A storytellers sermon would adorn. Sound would be shorn and a familiar Homecoming would be torn.
On the final day of January, Cassadee Pope, along with Stephen Jerzak, Justin Young, It Boys! and Mikey James bonded to emulate a Darling Parade of rising royalty.
Taking a seat at the front of the stage with an acoustic guitar and flanked by a violin player, a guitar player and a percussionist delicately tapping a wooden beat box, Ms Pope treated the Tuesday Night Key Club to Hey Monday Beneath It All delicacies "Wish You Were Here" and "Hangover" before segueing through an avenue of new tunes.
She introduced "Secondhand Love" by saying she was inspired by country superstars Sugarland. From there she invited opener Justin Young to help inhabit "Lunatic," a song they penned together.
Dainty footsteps, one after the other, on our way to the sunflower hue of the promised land.
Soon Ryan Key, singer of fellow Floridian pop punkers Yellowcard, strolled out slinging an acoustic tuned to the key of awesomeness.
However, for the initial gorgeous vocal interplay of "Hang You Up," Cassadee needed to dial up the lyrics on her iPhone. I believe the words auto-scrolled via a Frank Sinatra teleprompter app (sic).
The two rosy peas in a ipod soon unified in harmonious vibrato for a stirring transformation of Yellowcard's "Only One" (Cassadee's favorite YC song).
Watch both versions (live from the Key Club and live last year with Cassadee joining in for a chorus at the 3-minute mark)
The room then caught fire with "Candles" and a string of Hey Monday hits including the incredibly infectious "I Don't Wanna Dance" (which is so UNDENIABLE! You gotta DANCE! As if you have lit candles in your pants!).
Another soft kiss from acoustic heaven came in the form of a stripped down version of Ednaswap's "Torn" (a #1 smash hit for Natalia Imbruglia) which, rather than feel worn, felt elegantly re-born.
Yes, it's ah, ah, Obvious to me. Right here is where the party starts, with you and me...
I'm feeling what I'm feeling cause I'm ready to go...
To a shiny pinwheel parade led by a dexterous darling...
Formidably led by the soaring breathy vocals of Kristin Kearns, whom also adds rhythmic muscle on six parallel steel strings, the quartet's 80s-influened power pop posturing is augemented by the heft of bassist of Nate Thurston, guitarist Adam Hatfield and drummer Casey Conrad which coalesces into the confident strut of this populist Parade.
Their music has easy appeal. It's new yet familiar. Coated with a glossy sheen, a sticky sweet piece of ear candy like "Long Way Back" embodies its words literally as flashes of Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl" Toto "Hold The Line" and Survivor "Eye Of The Tiger" transport one back in time...
Baby, it's a long way back to where we came from
Positioned as the main support act for the entire run of shows, this well-oiled Nashville quartet won me over from the get-go.
The mark of an enduring professional band is sticking true to one's own pursuit.
Playing an early slot on a lengthy bill of mainly stripped down performances to a sparse crowd of indifferent strangers (LA can be a tough crowd, especially when they don't know the music), Darling Parade played with considerable more energy than their meticulously tailored studio tracks would have alluded to.
Locked and loaded with precision aim, their vibrant voyage into the sunset was, unfortunately, derailed by a mid-set tech problem with the bass rig (which cut their already short set by a further two songs).
However, against-all-odds, DP enthusiastically delivered a five-song set of deftly layered tracks, mainly from their latest EP Until We Say It’s Over which landed at #8 on Billboard’s “Next Big Sound” chart the week of its release last November. A highlight of the new EP is "Remember" which features vocals by Stephen Christian of Anberlin.
With great aplomb, The City of Angels copiously applauded the Pope but the real page-turner was the emergence of an eight-days-a-week Kearns calendar.
For those about to rock with Darling Parade, every day is Funday!
"Hey Monday" move on over.
Funday comes after Sunday!
To celebrete, The Bells Are Ringing!
CASSADEE POPE
Key Club, W. Hollywood, CA
January 31, 2012
Set List:
1. Wish You Were Here
2. Hangover
3. Proved You Wrong
4. Secondhand Love
5. Lunatic (w/ Justin Young)
6. Hang You Up (w/ Ryan Key of Yellowcard)
7. Only One (w/ Ryan Key of Yellowcard)
8. Candles
9. I Don’t Wanna Dance
10. Homecoming
11. I Told You So
12. Torn (Ednaswap cover)
13. How You Love Me Now
14. 6 Months
DARLING PARADE
Key Club, W. Hollywood, CA
January 31, 2012
Set List:
1. When It's Over
2. Never Wrong
3. Give It Up
4. Remember
5. Never Fall Down
TOUR DATES
Cassadee Pope w/ Darling Parade
Jan 27 Chain Reaction - Anaheim, CA
Jan 28 Martini Ranch - Scottsdale, AZ
Jan 31 Key Club - West Hollywood, CA
Feb 01 Rock City - Camarillo, CA
Feb 02 Jerry's - Bakersfield, CA
Feb 11 Beat Kitchen - Chicago, IL
Feb 12 Altar Bar - Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 14 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA
Feb 15 Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
Feb 16 Mexicali Live - Teaneck, NJ
Feb 17 HighLine Ballroom - New York, NY
Feb 18 Planet Trog - Whitehall, PA
Feb 19 Sound Stage - Baltimore, MD
Feb 22 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Feb 23 1982 Bar - Gainesville, FL
Feb 24 Culture Room - Fort Lauderdale, FL
(Special thanks to Nate Thurston. Key Club photos by Picksysticks)
