New Hashtag - USE IT!

Hello friends. Greetings from the great state of North Carolina. It is the third day of our National Business tour, and we have been having lots of fun with our new friends in Ceremony, rocking and rolling around America. This morning, I want to bring you into a new world of internet fun and synergy.

Lots of people have been asking me about why our new record is called "Local Business." There are many reasons, but first among them is the most obvious - that Titus Andronicus likes to support local business. It is easy enough at home, where all of our favorite local businesses are well known and easily accessible, but out here on the road, it can be hard, and we are often forced to succumb to the corporate ogre to get necessities like, say, food. By now, you are wondering how you can help. Well, we are prepared to make it easy.

Firstly, visit this new site on our web page - http://www.titusandronicus.net/localbusinessforever/
There, you will see people using the new, fully branded #LOCALBUSINESSFOREVER hashtag, getting us wise to what sort of local businesses we need to be patronizing when we come to their cities. This will hopefully be encouragement enough for you to do the same, to get us wise to the coolest restaurants, coffee shops, bars, merchandisers, or whatever local businesses you like to support in yr city, so that we will be in the know when we come to visit. Yr tweets will scroll there for all to see. You will also find our tour dates, with links to local record stores in corresponding cities so that you may be encouraged to support them, and perhaps purchase our "Local Business" album whilst you do so.

I may tweet at y'all for further info as necessity demands in the coming weeks. Please do not leave Titus Andronicus wanting for this vital information. #LOCALBUSINESSFOREVER - this is the hashtag. Use it, because this is 2012.

Lastly, I have been made aware that the music video for "In A Big City," the product of our now legendary twenty-eight hour shoot of a couple weeks back, will premiere today on Grantland.com, so be sure to check that out.

All right, well, now I got to go, for this afternoon we "Rock the Vote" in Durham with Mac from Superchunk and Spider Bags! Can you think of a better way to spend an afternoon? Not me. Let's speak again soon.

Yr friend,
Patrick

The Local Business Sessions

Via Pitchfork TV

Record Release Show at Shea Stadium!

Hello friends. It is our pleasure this morning to announce the record release show for our forthcoming third LP, "Local Business." It is going down next Monday, October 22nd at our favorite local business and number one rock and roll club in the world, the newly renovated Shea Stadium in Brooklyn. We'll be joined by Glen Rock's top stoner punk crew Liquor Store (featuring original TA drummer Sarim Al-Rawi), and by former Parts & Labor keyboard whiz Dan Friel, who will bless us with his ultra-distorted instrumental ice cream truck pop punk.

Tickets for this event are ten dollars ($10) and will go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon at the Shea Stadium website, via BrownPaperTickets.com. You can expect to pay something like $1.50 in fees, so maybe think of this show as costing more like $11.50. This show is pre-sale only, so no tickets will be available at the door the night of the show. Don't get left out in the cold!

As always at Shea Stadium, the show will be ALL AGES.

Here is the flier for the event, designed by Shea Stadium's own Luke Chiarutinni, aka the Iceman.



As long as we're talking, remember the great fun we had the other day forgetting that we've all listened to 'Local Business' via illicit internet piracy? Well, get back in that magic headspace, because the record is now streaming in full, legit-style, at NPR.com. Classy!

Okay, that's all for today. I don't imagine we're going to have much more to announce between now and the release of the album and the beginning of the tour, so let me take this opportunity to thank you for yr continued interest in Titus Andronicus. You can always find more up-to-the-minute information on Twitter and Tumblr.

Yr friend,
Patrick

NEW SONG! "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter"

Hello friends. I invite you this morning to join me on a flight of fancy, wherein we will pretend that the forthcoming Titus Andronicus LP "Local Business" has not leaked onto the internet, and that you are still frothing with anticipation as to what it could possibly sound like. Well, froth no longer, dear friends, as it is now our pleasure to share with you the second track from said LP, "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter." BEHOLD!


You will find the lyrics embedded in this video for you to follow along with, but no funny pictures this time, as there were in the "In A Big City" lyric video, which you all remember fondly, I'm sure. Why no funny pictures? Well, we just finished a twenty-eight hour music video shoot and I am tired. If you want to do yr own annotating, perform a Google Image Search for the terms "Carl Sagan," "Carles," and "Particle Man" and you will be well on yr way.

As long as we are talking, there are a few more "NATIONAL BUSINESS" tour dates with Ceremony to share with you, including our first ever show in South Carolina! They are as follows.

10-26 - Greensboro, NC - CFBG's Record Co-Op
10-27 - Columbia, SC - One Unit Art Space
10-30 - Jacksonville, FL - Phoenix Taproom
11-01 - Nashville, TN - High Watt

And note these corrected dates in California.

11-09 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
11-10 - San Diego, CA - Irenic
11-11 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst Atrium

Lastly, we have a free day on November 18th, on which Titus Andronicus and Ceremony would really love to visit the great state of WYOMING. Does anyone reading this have any leads on cool places to play in the Equality State? Please e-mail TitusAndronicusTheBand@Gmail.com and let us know!
 
I hope that this message finds you doing great, and that you will enjoy this song. Visit us again on Monday, when we will have yet more exciting announcements for you! Wheee! For now, farewell.

Yr friend,
Patrick

Appear in the new Titus Andronicus Music Video!

Hello friends. By now, you have all seen the lyric video for "In A Big City," and it probably so delighted you that you'll now be shocked to learn that it is not the official music video. That music video will be shot next week, and we want you to be a part of it! Take it away, Mr. Casting Director -

"We're shooting a video for "In A Big City" next Wednesday and Thursday (10/11-12) in New Jersey, and we need yr help!

We need people! We'll be shooting for 24 hours straight. But we don't need you all that time - more like for a two or three hour chunk. Interested? Shoot us an email at: 

bigcitycasting@gmail.com

Include your name, date of birth, where you live (NY and NJ residents only), and when you are free on the 11th and/or the 12th! You will need to get yourself to and from location. And ideally, a picture, so we know what you look like (all types are welcome). And we'll get back to you ASAP.

There you have it, folks - yr big chance at music video stardom. We do hope you have the interest and the availability. See you then!

Yr friend,

Patrick

"NATIONAL BUSINESS" FALL 2012 TOUR REVEALED!

Hello friends. It is our pleasure this day to reveal to you the dates of our Fall 2012 "NATIONAL BUSINESS" Tour, in support of the new album, "Local Business." Behold!

10-23 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
10-24 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
10-25 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
10-28 - Gainesville, FL - THE FEST 11
10-29 - Tampa, FL - Crowbar
10-31 - Atlanta, GA - 529
11-01 - Nashville, TN - Stone Fox
11-02 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone
11-04 - Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest
11-06 - Tempe, AZ - Sail Inn
11-08 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
11-09 - San Diego, CA - Irenic
11-10 - Santa Ana, CA - Constellation Room
11-11 - Santa Cruz, CA - Catalyst Atrium
11-12 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
11-14 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's
11-15 - Vancouver, BC - Biltmore Cabaret
11-17 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
11-19 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11-20 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot
11-21 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Underground
11-22 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
11-23 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
11-24 - Madison, WI - The Frequency
11-25 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
11-26 - Detroit, MI - The Majestic
11-27 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
11-28 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
11-29 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Lounge
11-30 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
12-01 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's
12-02 - New York City, NY - Webster Hall

All of these shows, with the exception of Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, will enjoy the support of the great contemporary punk band and Matador Records recording artist CEREMONY. If you haven't already, start getting to know them via the below video, for their song "World Blue" from the 2012 release "Zoo."



To celebrate our newfound friendship, the merchandise table for this tour will feature an exclusive seven inch single split between our two bands, with "In A Big City" on the Titus side, and a previously unreleased song called "Everything Burns" on the Ceremony side. I can only assume this is a reference to "The Dark Knight," which has me as excited as you might guess.

As always, if you wish to have Titus Andronicus as yr house guests in exchange for free entry for you and yr friends to our show in yr city, e-mail TitusAndronicusTheBand@Gmail.com and let us know!

We will have a few more dates to reveal in the coming weeks to fill in the gaps in the schedule, which you know we can not abide. We'll also have a very special announcement in about two weeks, so keep yr eyes on this space!

Yr friend,
Patrick

P.S. Don't forget that you can pre-order "Local Business" via the XL Recordings website here, including limited edition red vinyl for you wax aficionados.

"Local Business" First Single and Cover REVEALED

Hello friends. By now, you've all heard about the forthcoming third Titus Andronicus LP, "Local Business," coming October 22nd from our friends at XL Recordings. You may be wondering though, as is sensible to wonder when it comes to recorded music, what does it sound like? Well, wonder no longer, as it is our pleasure to now share with you the first single, "In A Big City," with the lyrics embedded for you to follow along with.



For those of you who would prefer to judge a record by its cover, well, we are prepared to accommodate you too. Here it is in all of its glory, courtesy of our good friend Nolen Strals, formerly of Double Dagger and lately of the new band Pure Junk.



By now, you have surely been whipped into such a state of feverish anticipation that you just can't wait to get yr hands on the thing. That is now easier than ever, as the good people at XL Recordings are now taking pre-orders here.

Okay, that is a lot to process, but continue to watch this space, as we will have more pertinent information to reveal to you in the coming days. Stay tuned!

Yr friend,
Patrick

LOCAL BUSINESS: the new Titus Andronicus LP

Dear friends, this is just to say that October 23rd will see the release of the third Titus Andronicus album titled Local Business. A nationwide US tour will follow the albums release, dates TBA.

While the first two albums were elaborate concoctions, Local Business is of the earth. Titus Andronicus the studious recording project and Titus Andronicus the raucous touring machine are no longer two distinct beings; there is only Titus Andronicus, rock and roll band. This is to say, it was recorded primarily live with precious few overdubs, with an elite squad of musicians.

The lineup is: Patrick Stickles (singer/songwriter/guitarist), Eric Harm (drums), Julian Veronesi (bass), Liam Betson (guitar) and Adam Reich (guitar). The album was recorded in New Paltz, New York’s Marcata Recording with producer/engineer/mastermind Kevin McMahon. They recorded it in April and May of 2012 along with some special guests including longtime Titus session keyboardist Elio DeLuca, universally acclaimed violinist Owen Pallett, and Eric Harm’s father Steven on
harmonica. This tight-knit group is just one of the meanings behind the phrase “Local
Business”.

While abandoning the linear narrative of their last album The Monitor, the songs on Local Business aim to make explicit the implications of the first two LPs, that the inherent meaninglessness of life in an absurd universe gives the individual power to create their own values and their own morality. Along the way, we witness a devastating automobile wreck, a food fight (that is to say, a battle with an eating disorder), an electrocution, a descent into insanity, and ultimately, a forgiveness of the self for its many faults. Titus Andronicus even finds time to broaden its emotional palette to include
moments of pure positivity, brief respites from the usual doom and gloom.

In case you are interested, here is the track listing.

1. Ecce Homo
2. Still Life With Hot Deuce And Silver Platter
3. Upon Viewing Oregon’s Landscape With The Flood Of Detritus
4. Food Fight!
5. My Eating Disorder
6. Titus Andronicus VS. The Absurd Universe (3rd Round KO)
7. In A Big City
8. In A Small Body
9. (I Am The) Electric Man
10. Tried To Quit Smoking

More information will be forthcoming, such as the cover art, subsequent tour dates, and all that other good stuff. We thank you for yr continued interest.

Very sincerely yrs,
T. Andronicus

P.S. Previews of several of these jams may be found in live format at titusandronicusllc.tumblr.com. Further questions may be administered via twitter @titus_ndronicus.

WATCH THIS SPACE

All will be revealed, and soon.

SCREAMING ON PLANET TITUS SPRING 2012 US TOUR

SCREAMING ON
PLANET TITUS

TITUS ANDRONICUS

SCREAMING FEMALES

DIARRHEA PLANET

3 / 4 - ASBURY PARK, NJ - THE STONE PONY
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3 / 5 - BALTIMORE, MD - OTTOBAR
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3 / 6 - RICHMOND, VA - STRANGE MATTER
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3 / 7 - NASHVILLE, TN - THE FREAKIN' WEEKEND @ THE END
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3 / 9 - ATHENS, GA - CALEDONIA LOUNGE (18+)
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3 /10 - ATLANTA, GA - THE BASEMENT (18+)
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3/11 - NEW ORLEANS, LA - HOUSE OF BLUES (18+)
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3/12 - HOUSTON, TX - WAREHOUSE LIVE STUDIO
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PUNK IS BACK
2012