WE ARE SCIENTISTS LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR

Let me start off by saying that I've never been a HUGE fan of We Are Scientists. I don't dislike them by any means but I just haven't had a love affair with the band. If anything, I've heard tracks from them here and there, thought they were good but never really had the impulse to listen further or buy a record. This night, The Troubadour was packed, I was surrounded by Silverlake scenesters, aggressive girls who like girls and the "I Are Scientists" superfans, I witnessed We Are Scientists play a SOLD OUT show in Los Angeles on Friday, August 6th at 10pm.

Was the show amazing. . .YES, it was a damn good time. They played to a VERY loyal audience from the typical L.A. hipster to the avid youth pop lover, each and every one of them loving the music, singing along and the silly slap stick banter back and forth between songs was refreshing. Personally, I say less talk, more rock . . . but the kids were digging it so who the hell am I?

We Are Scientists have a simple formula for their music and they've mastered it on stage. Their songs are catchy with a consistent tempo from song to song that keeps the crowd pumped and wanting more. The sound at the Troubadour was ehh at best, leaving the band muffled at times with pretty constant mic tweaks during the performance. This however didn't hurt the band's upbeat, fun and charismatic presence on stage. The guys obviously dig each other and have a great time up there. VERY IMPORTANT!! At the end of the day I've always felt you need to love what you do to truly have happiness. WAS embodies that statement and I appreciate that, so did the sold out house at The Troubadour Friday night.

 

End thought . . . kudos to We Are Scientists. Keep loving what you do and doing what you love and the house will Rock!

      STORY & PHOTOS: TONY STARK

SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

We Are Scientists ' much-anticipated US tour kicked off a few week ago in Boston, at Middle East, following a first leg of UK and European dates, including major festivals. The live show has garnered raves and the band has played in front of thousands of cheering fans. Reaction to songs from the band's critically acclaimed June release, Barbara continues to receive high praise from their adopted homeland of England as well as in the US media. The US leg is part of the band's World Tour which officially launched in June and has included the Glastonbury Festival, among other major venues. The band will play Leeds and Reading festivals in August. We Are Scientists' are scheduled to perform to a sold-out crowd at Bowery Ballroom in New York City, tomorrow, July 14th. The club sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.

Barbara is the band's fourth and now considered their best studio album to date. As a result, W.A.S. garnered a flood of UK press and media activity, including multiple features in The Guardian, a major feature in The Fly accompanied by a 4 star review, as well as features in FHM, Time Out, Artrocker, among others. Rave reviews in Mojo, Blogcritics.com, Absolute Punk, etc. drove the pre-release UK buzz for Barbara which has followed through in the US as well . UK promotional activity included the Zane Lowe Radio 1 Sessions, NME Radio 'Takeover,' XFM Session, roundhouse Digital Music Awards and an appearance at the Topshop fashion lecture.

"They've unleashed a fistful of songs that'd do any of the mid-noughties breakthrough brigade prouder than many of them can still conceive....all the ingredients are absolutely there for a thoroughly explosive reaction," claims Iain Moffat, The Fly in the magazine's 4 star review. And, Andy Fyfe at Mojo declares, "The New York-based Californians continue to round the spiky indie-rock edges off their 2006 party-hard debut...hungry verses about relationships that glide into giant choruses. A solid step forward for a band unfathomably more popular in the UK than their homeland."

Alternative Press recently claimed, "...for fans of the band who are already in the know, Barbara is a return to the bouncy, fun form of their breakthrough album, 2005's With Love & Squalor," adding "...Barbara finds them back in their comfort zone--fun, danceable pop-rock." Popmatters.com notes "Barbara accomplishes something pretty rare. It successfully combines the best elements of two very different predecessors into one complete sound... a strong overall impression."

The album follows the We Are Scientists rock music brand by including beat-driven, melody-wrapped, and harmony-draped, lyrically-savvy tracks. W.A.S. is Keith Murray and Chris Cain. On Barbara, the duo recruited a brand new set of hands and feet behind the drum kit in the shape of Master Andy Burrows (ex-Razorlight drummer).


The band's much-anticipated US tour dates are as follows:

Tue-Jul-13: Boston, MA: Middle East
Wed-Jul-14: New York, NY: Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)
Thu-Jul-15: Philadelphia, PA: Johnny Brenda's
Fri-Jul-16: Washington, DC: Black Cat
Sat-Jul-17: Brooklyn, NY: Music Hall of Williamsburg/Siren After Party
Mon-Jul-19: Toronto, ON: Horseshoe Tavern
Tue-Jul-20: Ann Arbor, MI: Blind Pig
Wed-Jul-21: Chicago, IL: Bottom Lounge
Fri-Jul-23: Denver, CO: Larimer Lounge
Mon-Jul-26: Portland, OR: Doug Fir Lounge
Wed-Jul-28: Seattle, WA: Neumo's
Aug-6: Los Angeles, CA: Troubadour
Aug-7: San Francisco, CA: Slim’s
Aug-8: Visalia, CA: Cellar Door
Aug-10: Salt Lake City, UT: Kilby Court
Aug-12: Kansas City, MO: Record Bar
Aug-13: Old Rock House: St. Louis, MO
Aug-14: Columbus, OH: The Basement
Aug-15: Pittsburgh, PA: Brillobox

COACHELLA HIGHLIGHTS

We Are Scientists hit the crowd during day one of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2009 on April 17, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Winter/Getty

A view from the ground: the scene at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2009 during day one, April 17, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Dowling/Getty

The Ting Tings perform during day one of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 17, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Dowling/Getty

The Airborne Toxic Event make a big impression during day one of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2009 on April 17, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Winter/Getty

Paolo Nutini performs during day two of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 18, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Winter/Getty

Fleet Foxes bring a slice of Americana to day two of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 18, 2009 in Indio, California.
Photo: Shearer/WireImage

WE ARE SCIENTISTS HIT THE ROAD WITH KINGS OF LEON FOR FALL TOUR!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 7, 2008

WE ARE SCIENTISTS WATER-SKI BEHIND
THE POWERBOAT THAT IS KINGS OF LEON

NEW YORK -- We Are Scientists are freaking out like a group of 8 year-old boys who've caught a snake in a box, and the reason is that they got the Kings of Leon tour this fall. W.A.S. will spend five weeks in October and November supporting the Southern Rock icons in a slew of American cities that includes Milwaukee.

Until then, New Yorkers Keith Murray (guitar, lead vocals) and Chris Cain (bass, receded reverby vocals), along with stage mates Max Hart (keys, shrieks) and Adam Aaronson (drums, haircut), will bring their hook-heavy, chop-confident second album, Brain Thrust Mastery, back to Europe for a late-summer seven-country swing that will include the U.K., where the album debuted at No. 11, and a jaunt supporting R.E.M. in Italy, Germany, Lithuania, and Spain. Early October and an airplane will take the grown-men-without-jobs to Australia for a week of headliners before they literally double their skymile take by flying back home to join Kings of Leon.

The band is fresh off a late-July spot on CBS's The Late Show With David Letterman playing the British Top 15 single After Hours, about which Letterman himself exclaimed, immediately post-performance, "That's exactly what we're looking for... the beauty!" W.A.S.' seamless fusion of pop-rock influences stretching from the Sixties to 2012, their "nimble melodies and kinetic enthusiasm", were all praised as "hard to resist" by Alternative Press. A closer look revealed, though, that nine out of every ten employees of the Alternative Press did manage to resist when faced with the album in stores. We Are Scientists released their first album, With Love and Squalor, in 2005, scoring three major British hit singles and gold-certified album sales in the UK.

To explore ad nauseam We Are Scientists -- to hear songs, watch videos, and read advice -- please go to http://www.astralwerks.com/we_are_scientists/.

WE ARE SCIENTISTS
On Tour with Kings of Leon, Fall 2008:

Sat-Oct-11 Las Vegas, NV The Joint /Hard Rock Hotel
Sun-Oct-12 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
Wed-Oct-15 Los Angeles, CA Nokia Theatre
Fri-Oct-17 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Sat-Oct-18 San Francisco, CA The Warfield
Mon-Oct-20 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
Tue-Oct-21 Portland, OR Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Thu-Oct-23 Denver, CO The Fillmore
Sat-Oct-25 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
Sun-Oct-26 Oklahoma City, OK Bricktown Ballroom
Tue-Oct-28 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
Wed-Oct-29 Dallas, TX The Palladium Ballroom
Fri-Oct-31 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Sat-Nov-01 Minneapolis, MN Orpheum Theatre
Mon-Nov-03 St Louis, MO The Pageant
Wed-Nov-05 Milwaukee, WI Eagles Ballroom
Fri-Nov-07 Toronto, ON Kool Haus
Sat-Nov-08 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
Mon-Nov-10 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
Thu-Nov-13 Boston, MA Orpheum
Sat-Nov-15 Philadelphia, PA The Electric Factory
Tue-Nov-18 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
Wed-Nov-19 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium

Also, for a free Kings Of Leon download, check out www.kingsofleon.com

ANOTHER NEW VIDEO PREMIERE

I hope you don't mind, but because I'm still recovering I've decided to just be lazy and post new videos today. I'll be back in business tomorrow! New We Are Scientist vid for their single "After Hours". ENJOY!