DT: OCTOBER 3, 2016 FM: BARI LIEBERMAN/MIKE GOWEN, MSO PR
![]() STS9
ANNOUNCES THREE-NIGHT NEW YEAR’S CELEBRATION SHOWS
IN DENVER
DECEMBER 29-31
PLUS TWO NIGHTS IN SAN FRANCISCO
NOVEMBER 19-20
NEW ALBUM
‘THE UNIVERSE INSIDE’
OUT NOW VIA 1320 RECORDS
DEBUTS AT #2
ON BILLBOARD DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUMS CHART
![]() STS9 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre (September 9, 2016)
Photo Credit: aLIVE Coverage
STS9 today (10/3) announced a three-night New Year’s celebration run at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver for Thursday, December 29, Friday, December 30 and Saturday, December 31. The headlining shows-fresh off their two sold-out shows at Red Rocks Amphitheatre September 9 and 10, marking their 20th performance at the famed Colorado venue–will cap off a massive year for the acclaimed and adventurous electronic rock band who released THE UNIVERSE INSIDE, their first new full-length studio album in nearly seven years, last month. Live Nation pre-sale tickets go on sale this Wednesday, October 5 at 10am Mountain Time, with public on-sales beginning Friday, October 7 at 10am Mountain Time. Go to www.sts9.com for more information and ticketing links.
THE UNIVERSE INSIDE–released September 2 via the band’s own 1320 Records–debuted at #1 on the iTunes and Amazon Electronic Albums Charts and #2 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums Chart, marking their highest position to date on that chart. The 13-track album–the band’s first featuring bassist Alana Rocklin–features lead single “Get Loud,” a collaboration with singer/songwriter Betty Idol and acclaimed production team the J.U.S.T.I.CE. League, and opens with “Supercluster,” which samples the original NASA STS-9 radio transmission and represents the band’s return from a journey that began with their 1998 debut, Interplanetary Escape Vehicle.
THE UNIVERSE INSIDE has been receiving critical praise since its release, with Kyle Rutherford of The Untz calling it, “a conscious expression of the beauty in the world, and a motivation for all listeners to follow the path they wish to choose” (9/5), and Live For Live Music’s Rex Thompson adding, “With such a quality effort after all this time, fans can only hope that this release reinvigorates STS9’s passion for producing more of the magic that The Universe Inside shows them clearly capable of” (8/30). See below for more critical feedback.
The members of STS9—Hunter Brown (guitar/sequences), Jeffree Lerner (percussion), David Phipps (keyboards/synths), Zach Velmer (drums) and Alana Rocklin (bass)–went through a lot over the course of making this record. In order to connect and express something more direct than they could with the music alone, the band chose to utilize more lyrics than they have on any of their previous efforts. It’s an album about human identity and the magical truth of who we are, where we’re going, and our place in the Universe. THE UNIVERSE INSIDE—written, recorded, produced and mixed by the band at their own 1320 Mission Control in Santa Cruz, CA–comes on the cusp of STS9‘s 20th Anniversary (in 2017).
Beginning October 20 in Minneapolis, STS9 will head out on a fall headlining tour in support of the album’s release bringing their expansive sound, innovative style combining the energy of 21st century dance music with the dynamics of a band, one-of-a-kind critically acclaimed production and message of unity to audiences throughout the Midwest and East Coast, including a stop at New York City’s Terminal 5 on November 12. The quintet–consistently ranked on Pollstar magazine’s list of the nation’s top 40 touring acts–then head back to the West Coast for two nights in San Francisco: Saturday, November 19 for their debut performance at The Masonic and Sunday, November 20 at The Fillmore, marking the band’s first show at the acclaimed venue in seven years. Tickets for the recently announced Bay Area shows, including a 2-Day Pass, are available here. Additionally, the festival favorites are set to perform at the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Suwannee Hulaween and Dominican Holidaze. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates.
Critical Praise for The Universe Inside:
“The Universe Inside sees the band return with a message…in all, the record marks a new dawn for the long-standing outfit.”
“[The album] contains 13 tracks of celestial sounds and goose bump inducing riffs that will take you on a journey back to the band’s funk roots.”
“The album guides you on a journey to understand your place within the cosmos while importing the funkadelic feels!…The tracks lift your spirits as they introduce a groovy disposition. The Universe Inside reminds listeners that they’re significant to the design of the natural world. Plus combining elements of rock music and electronic has never sounded so sweet.”
“The use of layered, ebb-and-flow distorted dialogue segments compliment the music perfectly…’World Go Round’ in particular does an amazing job of simulating the inescapable power of the celestial dance of gravity. Hunter Brown and Dave Phipps layer pulsing beats, wide screen washes of psychedelic atmosphere and an endless series of perfectly placed sound effects that create a wall of sound that obliterates any other sensory input. While different kinds of music are suited to different situations, there can be no multi-tasking when The Universe Inside is transmitting its space funk goodness.”
“There are more vocalists than on past STS9 recordings, which exponentially expand their trademark freeform space grooves, yet also bring them back down to earth.”
![]() Above: album art for STS9’s THE UNIVERSE INSIDE
Catch STS9 on the road in the following cities:
DATE CITY VENUE
Headlining Shows:
Thu 10/20 Minneapolis, MN Skyway Theater
Fri 10/21 Madison, WI Orpheum Theater
Sat 10/22 Detroit, MI The Fillmore
Sun 10/23 Columbus, OH Express Live! Indoor Pavilion
Wed 10/26 Louisville, KY Mercury Ballroom
Thu 10/27 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theatre
With GRiZ:
Fri 10/28 Pelham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
Festival Appearances:
Sat 10/29 Live Oak, FL Suwannee Hulaween
Sun 10/30 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Music + Arts Experience
Headlining Shows:
Mon 10/31 Athens, GA Georgia Theater
Thu 11/3 Nashville, TN War Memorial Auditorium
Fri 11/4 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Sat 11/5 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Sun 11/6 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theater
Wed 11/9 Norfolk, VA The Norva
Thu 11/10 nbsp; Silver Spring, MD The Fillmore
Fri 11/11 Philadelphia, PA The Fillmore
Sat 11/12 New York, NY Terminal 5
Sat 11/19 San Francisco, CA The Masonic
Sun 11/20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Festival Appearance:
Thu 12/1-Mon 12/5 Punta Cana, DR Dominican Holidaze
Headlining Shows:
Thu 12/29 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Fri 12/30 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Sat 12/31 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
![]() Above: STS9
For more information on STS9, visit:
MSO Press Releases + Assets:
For STS9 press inquiries, contact: MSO PR
818.380.0400
Mike Gowen // mgowen@msopr.com
Bari Lieberman // blieberman@msopr.com
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