On Your Marks…

BT in action, photo by Kev

THIS JUST IN: Paste Magazine is streaming HOWL in it’s entirety!

At long last, it’s time to start touring again.  SXSW, Colorado, New England, those were all wonderful little warm-ups for the HOWL tour, which starts Tuesday night in Rochester, NY.  We wind our way back to Chicago just in time for the release of the new record (out May 21 on Bloodshot Records, for those who haven’t been paying attention), and then things really get crazy.  California, East Coast, Firefly, Midwest, celebrations of Independence, festivals, ribs, summertime, fireworks, and an inevitable return to Europe.

• Tue May 14: Rochester, NY – Lilac Festival
• Wed May 15: Buffalo, NY – Waiting Room
• Thu May 16: Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
• Fri May 17: Lexington, KY – Buster’s Billiards
• Sat May 18: St Louis, MO – Webster Grooves Fest
• Sun May 19: St Louis, MO – Atomic Cowboy [special brunch matinee]
• Tue May 21: Chicago, IL – Saki (HOWL Listening Party)
• Sat May 25: Chicago, IL – Mayne Stage
• Wed June 5: Roseville, CA – Sammy’s
• Thu June 6: San Francisco, CA – Cafe du Nord
• Fri June 7: Cloverdale, CA – Friday Night Live
• Sat June 8: Long Beach, CA – Ink-N-Iron Fest @ Queen Mary
• Sun June 9: San Luis Obispo, CA – SLO Brewing Co.
• Tue June 11: Solanas Beach, CA – Belly Up
• Wed June 12: Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst
• Wed June 19: Pittsburgh, PA – Smiling Moose
• Fri June 21: Dover, DE – Firefly Music Festival
• Sat June 22: New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
• Sun June 23: Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
• Fri June 28: Ann Arbor, MI – Summer Festival
• Sun June 30: Milwaukee, WI – SummerFest
• Thu July 4: Louisville, KY – Waterfront Park
• Fri July 12: Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
• Sat July 13: Rochester, NY – Big Rib BBQ & Blues Fest
• mid August – West Coast
• October 6 & 13: Austin, TX – ACL Fest
• Oct/Nov – EUROPE

cover shot by Clayton Hauck

Who You Telling Lies To?

We’ve got a new video teaser for “Howl” while we work on the “Rouse Yourself” video.

Feast your eyes on “Ordinary”, starring Traeveon Howard, with a guest appearance by 2012 Air Guitar World Champion, Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard

Excited yet?

But seriously, we still totally need your help making the “Rouse Yourself” video.
Pretty please?

We Need Your Help to Make a Video

We’re really excited about the new album, Howl (out May 21 on Bloodshot Records). To get it out to the world, we’ve concocted an awesome music video for “Rouse Yourself”, the first single, to give the album some exposure and get the JCBUS message out to the people.  Please take a minute to watch our Pledge video, and if you’re able to – help support the band to make this video.  Let’s make 2013 OUR year.  Post-punk soul fans unite!

http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/rousevideo

The video will be shot in Los Angeles on April 27th, and in Chicago around May 7th.  The video will feature JC and the band with a surprise LA celebrity guest, triggering a stunning turn of events.

We need to shoot the video in Los Angeles and Chicago to accommodate our celebrity guests who are donating their time to be in the video. The shoot, editing, and locations require funds that we don’t have at the moment, so we’re offering up some very nice pledge treats for those who contribute!

Thanks y’all!

Day by Day – #PurpleWednesday

Back when BT had a day job and time to kill, he’d go on YouTube/Twitter jags…..

After reading the 50th issue of Wax Poetics, I was all hopped up on TACKAP so I started posting some of my fave clips and tagging it #PurpleWednesday, but no one ever pointed out that it was actually Tuesday.  But hey, Skipper is just that FAR AHEAD of the rest of us.

When I Come Home (Live in Paris) – Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings w/ Prince

SXSW 2013: The Verdict Is In

Before I begin, here’s a quick anecdote about bull fighting. If you ever go to a bull fight, you should know in advance that they kill the bull.  They drug it and then slowly kill it dead in the center of the ring.  So if you choose to go to a bull fight, I suggest you come to terms with and accept this grisly truth in advance.  If you can’t do that, then don’t bother going.

If you plan on going to SXSW, you need to accept that you will be dragging your equipment and wares through crowded streets of sweaty people, that you will have your first drink around 11am everyday (at least if you consider yourself only a moderate drinker), that every corporation or trust fund BKLYN hipster either A) wants you at to attend their party/concert/orgy to enjoy their product, or B) does not want you at their party/concert/orgy because the guest list is full and you are not a taste-maker and Kendrick Lamar is going on late anyway and by the way, have you tried Honest Tea or POP CHIPS, they’re sensational they’re changing America as we speak, we’ll give you two if you download the app and like us on Pinterest.

That’s the deal.  So own it.  And accept it.

Rolling Stone Howls for Love

cover shot by Clayton Hauck

Thanks to our fine friends at Rolling Stone, we’re finally rolling out the official announcement of our new album, “Howl”, coming out May 21 on Bloodshot Records.  Take a peak at the title track, and first song on the album, over at the RS site.

“‘Howl’ is a song about young love and the infectious idealism it inspires being dashed, giving you your first glimpse of the real world,” Brooks says. “After giving love without reservation and having it be callously discarded by a capricious recipient, it would take a stronger man than me to not be jaded. You find forgiveness and the wounded heart ultimately heals, but the scars are ever tender.”

Headed Off at the Pass

SPOILER ALERT: Sunday’s show at Off Broadway in St Louis (03/24/13) has been postponed due to inclement weather sweeping across the Great Plains.  Our apologies, we’ll reschedule ASAP.

JCBUS @ KDHX Twang Fest day party, photo by Nate Burrell, http://www.beforetheblink.com

It’s been a whirlwind tour, a week in Austin for SXSW followed by a quick run through New Mexico and Colorado.  Everything has been fairly smooth sailing, up until now. Despite a crazy blizzard on our way from Fort Collins up to Snowmass (I’d never actually seen cars spin out on the highway), we made it to the gig (outdoors, at the bottom of the ski slope) and afterwards waited out the closure of I-70 East at the Vail Pass.  That was fine, unexpected, but fine, we always decide it’s less stressful to stay put and comfortable, rather than barrel on through and run the risk of getting stuck somewhere in the van.