THE FLAMING LIPS
Formed in Oklahoma City, OK in 1983, The Flaming Lips have since become one of the most iconic, influential, unpredictable, and vital forces in American alternative rock music. The band has garnered three GRAMMY® Awards, a Tony nomination, and an RIAA Gold-certified Record for Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Q Magazine named them one of the “50 Bands to See Before You Die.”
The band has made countless late night television appearances, appeared in a Super Bowl commercial, contributed to many film soundtracks, and collaborated with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Kacey Musgraves, Yoko Ono, The Chemical Brothers, and so many more. They have set countless records, broken records, created spectacular interactive audio/visual events now regarded as legendary.
Frontman Wayne Coyne has been recognized for works of art that graced many LIPS album covers along with his traveling art exhibit “The King’s Mouth,” an audiovisual art installation that has been featured in many contemporary art museums around the US. Their latest LP, American Head, marks a return to a more melodic and song-oriented body of work and has critically been lauded as their best work in years placing on several Year End/Best Of lists around the world. Evan after a combination of 22 studio recordings, 16 singles, 11 compilations, 11 EP’s and 11 self-released experimental collaborative oddities released in various forms, quantities and unique mediums, The Flaming Lips remain in a creative apex that has no bounds. To that end, they have become an American Treasure and created a genre all to themselves.
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MODEST MOUSE
Having recently completed another successful run with Pixies and Cat Power, Modest Mouse continues to prove themselves to be one of the most consistent live acts today. Modest Mouse released their highly anticipated new album, The Golden Casket, on June 25, 2021 via Epic Records. The Golden Casket heralds another new chapter in the GRAMMY® Award-nominated multi platinum band’s unpredictable evolution. Produced with Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee in Los Angeles and in Modest Mouse’s studio in Portland, the album hovers in the liminal space between raw punk power and experimental studio science, frontman Isaac Brock explores themes ranging from the degradation of our psychic landscapes and invisible technology, to fatherhood. The twelve tracks behave like amorphous organisms, undergoing dramatic mutations and mood swings that speak to the chronic tug-of-war between hope and despair that plays out in Brock’s head.
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FRIKO
An essential addition to Chicago’s long lineage of forward-thinking indie rock, Friko transforms every song into a moment of collective catharsis. Known for their high-energy live show, Friko aims to deliver a live experience that’s fantastically disorienting in its emotional arc. Mastered by Heba Kadry (Björk, Big Thief) and engineered by Jack Henry and Scott Tallarida, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (out now on ATO Records) embodies a sonic complexity befitting of a band that names Romantic-era classical music and the more primal edges of art-rock among their inspirations.
Where we've been, Where we go from here has catapulted Friko into the national spotlight, with glowing reviews from Pitchfork, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Paste, and more, along with placement on
several “Best Of 2024” lists including Vulture/New York Magazine, A.V. Club, Paste, who named “Where We’ve Been” their #1 song of the year so far, and NPR Music, who deemed “Get Numb To It!” a contender for one of the year’s best songs. The band has also received airplay from influential radio stations such as WXRT, Q101, KUTX, WYMS, and KCMP, and Where we’ve been, Where we go from here also charted in the top 10 on the NACC Top 200 College Radio chart.
Following spring tours with Water From Your Eyes, WILLIS and Mind’s Eye, a summer with performances at Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, and Fuji Rock, Friko will cap off 2024 supporting Royel Otis across North America before embarking on their first European headline run. Friko hopes that their music’s emotional potency might have a galvanizing impact on audiences.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify