The Aristocrats Release “Culture Clash” and Kick Off Tour
Seems hard to believe this group started out simply to perform a show at the 2011 Winter NAMM show. The Aristocrats, formed by bassist Bryan Beller, drummer Marco Minnemann and guitarist Guthrie Govan have come a long way since then.
This week, the trio released Culture Clash, their second studio album and third overall. Based on the reaction of our exclusive preview of the album’s title track last week, this one is going to be big.
That doesn’t come as a surprise, as this young band has developed a lot of chemistry over the last two years, with the albums and touring.
“We’re all definitely proud of the studio album,” says bassist Beller, “but we were just getting to know each other when we cut it. Now that we’ve traveled the world together, we really get each other musically and personally. Honestly, we spend a lot of time making each other laugh to the point of tears. I think that really comes through live, the sense that we’re friends walking a high wire together musically, but also that, sometimes, we just choose to be extremely silly. Somehow it all works.”
Govan agrees: “All the time we spent together as a band touring, and gigging together and interacting, has made us a stronger unit,” the guitarist said. “I think it’s made us bolder in terms of the kind of material we’ve dared to write for this album. I think there’s some wackier, more eccentric stuff that we maybe wouldn’t have submitted for the first album when we didn’t know each other as well, we didn’t know what kind of craziness we would get away with. So I guess we’re enjoying some of the benefits of having been a real band for longer.”
Culture Clash also finds the group exploring a wider range of genres. The nine tracks on the album are categorized by the band as techno/fusion, rock/fusion, nitro-powered rockabilly, prog/fusion, rock/fusion/ballad, up-tempo latin/prog/fusion, New Orleans 2nd line/fusion, progressive metal/fusion and rock/R&B/fusion.
The deluxe edition of the album includes a DVD featuring exclusive studio footage filmed during the making of the album and interviews with each band member.
Culture Clash is out now on CD and digital formats (iTunes and Amazon MP3). A vinyl edition is coming in late September.
The Aristocrats U.S. Tour Dates:
- July 19, 2013: Tampa, FL at Brass Mug
- July 20, 2013: Sanford, FL at West End Trading Company
- July 21, 2013: Jacksonville, FL at 1904 Music Hall
- July 23, 2013: Atlanta, GA at Atlanta Institute of Music
- July 24, 2013: Atlanta, GA at Purgatory at the Masquerade
- July 25, 2013: Charlotte, NC at Tremont Music Hall
- July 26, 2013: Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina at The Pour House Music Hall
- July 27, 2013: Vienna, VA at Jammin’ Java
- July 29, 2013: Boston, MA at Berklee College of Music
- July 30, 2013: Boston, MA at Berklee Performance Center
- July 31, 2013: Wilkes-Barr, PA at River Street Jazz Cafe
- August 1, 2013: New York, NY at Highline Ballroom
- August 2, 2013: Philadelphia, PA at North Star Bar
- August 3, 2013: Dunellen, NJ at New Jersey Proghouse
- August 6, 2013: Pittsburg, PA at Hard Rock Cafe
- August 7, 2013: Cleveland, OH at Beachland Ballroom (The Tavern)
- August 8, 2013: Columbus, OH at Rumba Café
- August 9, 2013: Cincinnati, OH at Southgate House Revival
- August 10, 2013: Charleston, WV at Empty Glass
- August 12, 2013: Detroit, MI at The Token Lounge
- August 13, 2013: Indianapolis, IN at Birdy’s
- August 14, 2013: Chicago, IL at Reggie’s
- August 15, 2013: Madison, WI at The Brink Lounge
- August 16, 2013: St. Paul, MN at Amsterdam Bar and Hall
- August 17, 2013: Omaha, NB at Shamrocks Pub & Grill
- August 19, 2013: St Louis, MO at 2720 Cherokee
- August 20, 2013: Kansas City, MS at The Record Bar
- August 21, 2013: Tulsa, OK at The Vanguard Music Hall
- August 23, 2013: Denton, TX at Dan’s Silverleaf
- August 24, 2013: Houston, TX at Rudyard’s British Pub
- August 25, 2013: Austin, TX
Culture Clash Track List:
- Dance Of The Aristocrats
- Culture Clash
- Louisville Stomp
- Ohhhh Noooo
- Gaping Head Wound
- Desert Tornado
- Cocktail Umbrellas (New Orleans 2nd line/fusion)
- Living The Dream
- And Finally
