NASHVILLE |DT: JANUARY 23, 2009
FR: SHAZILA MOHAMMED/ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/BARI LIEBERMAN, MSO
BLACK GOLD
CRITICAL PRAISE BUILDS FOR DEBUT FULL LENGTH ALBUM
‘RUSH’
IN STORES FEBRUARY 3; AVAILABLE ON iTUNES NOW;
ANNOUNCE WINTER TOUR KICKING OFF FEBRUARY 19 IN ALBUQUERQUE
INCLUDES STOPS IN NEW YORK AND AT SXSW
PREMIERE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE “PLANS & REVERIES”
“…nearly every song is a potential single begging for an extended disco edit.”
–Jessica Suarez, SPIN, February 2009
“Ronick and Luu know how to craft a good hook and dress it up in style.”
–Andy Hermann, METROMIX (National), January 2009
Critical praise has been steadily building for RUSH, the debut full length album from Brooklyn’s BLACK GOLD. The duo—multi-instrumentalists ERIC RONICK and THAN LUU—has crafted what may be one of the most charming and eclectic indie pop offerings this year. From the infectious analog synth strut of “Detroit”—an iTunes “Single of the Week” (10/7/08) where it received over 420,000 downloads—to the soaring, alluring melodies of their new track “Plans & Reveries,” RUSH is a unique listening experience by design. The album is in stores February 3 and available now on iTunes
Recently selected as one of MetroMix’s “Blowin’ up in ‘09” artists to watch, BLACK GOLD will be heading back out on the road for a cross-country tour this winter with Low Altitude/Universal Motown artist Lydia. The tour kicks off Thursday, February 19 in Albuquerque, NM and includes stops in New York and at the annual SXSW convention before wrapping Saturday, March 21 in Tempe, AZ. Prior to the tour kickoff, the band is scheduled to appear at Red Bull Snowscrapers—a snowboarding event in New York on February 5. For more information, visit: www.redbullsnowscrapers.com.
BLACK GOLD also recently premiered their video for new single “Plans & Reveries” on PureVolume.com. Hailed by Spin (2/09) for its “sweeping orchestral rock,” Eric says the song is “…about the moment when you come to and realize what you’ve lost, what you had, and what you don’t have any more.” The video for “Plans & Reveries” can be viewed at www.purevolume.com/videos/471 and was directed by Steven Drypolcher from Ghost Town Media. It will be serviced to outlets in late January.
Ronick and Luu are veteran performers who have tested their respective wares by logging significant stage time with a variety of acts (Panic At The Disco!, M. Ward, Ambulance Ltd., Rachael Yamagata and Adam Franklin of Swervedriver). They formed BLACK GOLD in early 2006 after first meeting on the set of “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn” while working with different bands. From there, they forged the alliance that reaped the sonic riches found on RUSH. Written and recorded mostly at Ronick’s Thinman Studios in Brooklyn, RUSH was completed in the Venice, CA studio of the album’s co-producer and mixer Vincenzo LoRusso (Tricky, Cypress Hill, System of a Down, Joan Osborne) after a flood wiped out Thinman.
CRITICAL QUOTES FOR RUSH:
“Breathlessly experimental, the Brooklyn duo will try any genre once—MOR (‘The Comedown’), MGMT falsetto funk (‘Breakdown’), and sweeping orchestral rock (‘Plans & Reveries’)—as long as it’s grafted to a dance beat and a big hook…nearly every song is a potential single begging for an extended disco edit.”
–Jessica Suarez, SPIN, February 2009
“This new act puts out a bouncy, retro-infused mix of indie-pop. Having a party? Making out? Going for a jog? Just press play; it all works.”
–Joyce Chang, PEOPLE STYLE WATCH, February 2009
“Ronick and Luu’s diverse musical backgrounds make their debut album Rush an eclectic listen; their sound canvases every corner of the modern rock omniverse, from synth-heavy dance-punk (‘Detroit’) to emo-tinged rockers (‘Plans & Reveries’) to disco-fied glam rock (‘The Comedown’). What holds it all together is the quality of the duo’s songwriting…Ronick and Luu know how to craft a good hook and dress it up in style.”
–Andy Hermann, METROMIX (National), January 2009
“The album’s melodies never rest on the rhythm’s laurels, instead floating easily between beats or soaring above them. The sweetest surprise here is the vocal harmonies the two employ—the voices that might sound unremarkable alone really pop when wrapped around each other or layered through shimmering guitars…The beats certainly foster dancing, but the melodies still allow for pensive conversation by the punchbowl or cleaning up beer cans alone in your empty house at 4am.”
–Erin Lyndal Martin, BIG SHOT, January 2009
“The sound of Black Gold is definitely shining, shimmering, and quite splendid, yet an undeniable darkness pervades the music of the illustrious duo. Balancing their danceable, electro-tinged exuberance with a strong sense of atmosphere, Eric Ronick and Than Luu craft songs that could be the soundtrack for both playful and mournful nights in your bedroom… ‘Detroit,’ with its bouncy rhythm section and effervescent vocals, displays their talent for reaching great emotional depths as well as their devotion to creating tuneful, catchy indie pop.”
–Amorn Bholsangngam, URB.COM, October 22, 2008
BLACK GOLD Tour Dates:
|
DATE |
|
CITY |
VENUE |
|
*Thu |
2/5 |
New York, NY |
Red Bull Snowscrapers @ East River Park |
|
Thu |
2/19 |
Albuquerque, NM |
The Launchpad |
|
Fri |
2/20 |
Colorado Springs, CO |
The Loft |
|
Sat |
2/21 |
Denver, CO |
Larimer Lounge |
|
Tue |
2/24 |
Omaha, NE |
The Waiting Room |
|
Wed |
2/25 |
Des Moines, IA |
Vaudeville Mews |
|
Thu |
2/26 |
St. Paul, MN |
Station 4 |
|
Fri |
2/27 |
Madison, WI |
The Annex |
|
Sat |
2/28 |
Chicago, IL |
AV-Aerie |
|
Sun |
3/1 |
West Lafayette, IN |
Purdue University |
|
Mon |
3/2 |
Cleveland Heights, OH |
The Grog Shop |
|
Tue |
3/3 |
Philadelphia, PA |
The Barbary |
|
Wed |
3/4 |
Cambridge, MA |
Middle East |
|
Thu |
3/5 |
New York, NY |
Mercury Lounge |
|
Fri |
3/6 |
Hoboken, NJ |
Maxwell’s |
|
Sat |
3/7 |
Washington, DC |
Rock and Roll Hotel |
|
Sun |
3/8 |
Richmond, VA |
Canal Club |
|
Tue |
3/10 |
Chapel Hill, NC |
Local 506 |
|
Wed |
3/11 |
Atlanta, GA |
Drunken Unicorn |
|
Thu |
3/12 |
Oxford, MS |
Proud Larry’s |
|
Fri |
3/13 |
New Orleans, LA |
One Eyed Jacks |
|
Sat |
3/14 |
Dallas, TX |
Club Dada |
|
Sun |
3/15 |
Denton, TX |
Rubber Gloves |
|
Tue |
3/17 |
San Antonio, TX |
White Rabbit |
|
*Wed |
3/18 |
Austin, TX |
SXSW |
|
Sat |
3/21 |
Tempe, AZ |
The Clubhouse |
|
*Tue |
3/24 |
Las Vegas, NV |
Wasted Space/Hard Rock Hotel & Casino |
*Denotes dates without Lydia
www.blackgoldmusic.com
www.myspace.com/blackgold
www.youtube.com/blackgold
###
For more information on BLACK GOLD, contact:
MSO 818-380-0400
Alexandra Greenberg x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
Shazila Mohammed x238, shazila@msopr.com
Bari Lieberman (tour) x222, blieberman@msopr.com
http://
BLACK GOLD: CRITICAL PRAISE BUILDS FOR DEBUT FULL LENGTH ALBUM ‘RUSH’ IN STORES FEBRUARY 3; AVAILABLE ON iTUNES NOW; ANNOUNCE WINTER TOUR KICKING OFF FEBRUARY 19 IN ALBUQUERQUE INCLUDES STOPS IN NEW YORK AND AT SXSW; PREMIERE VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE “PLANS & REVERIES”
