Photo: Kate Lamendola
Bass Drum of Death is getting back to basics. From the bare-bones title of their sixth record—SIX—to the writing approach—their first two LPs were recorded entirely on GarageBand—the creative process for the group is strikingly similar to the early stages of their career. While the new album marks a return to their original recording method, there are a few notable changes. Instead of working solo on the demos, frontman John Barrett and the band (Jim Barrett, guitar; Ian Kirkpatrick, drums) convened for several sessions in Barrett’s home studio in Nashville to bring the songs to life. Manning the faders was producer Jeremy Ferguson (Cage the Elephant, White Reaper), who then hosted the band for ten snowy days of fine tuning at his Battle Tapes studio. The result is a scuzzy blast of their signature sound, with influences ranging from The Stooges to ZZ Top and very much aided by Ferguson’s deft engineering touch. If SIX sounds like a return to form, the band proves they still have a few tricks in their pocket and things up their sleeve.
Today, the band shares the first track taken from the album, the glam rock-tinged “Do Nothing”. Barrett says; “We wanted to get back to that feeling of our earlier records, which was taking pop song structures and dirtying them up as far as we could push it. “Do Nothing” is pretty close to that edge, and it’s going to be a lot of fun to play live.”
TOUR DATES:
9/20 St. Louis, MO OB
9/21 Des Moines, IA xBk Live
9/23 Minneapolis, MN Turf Club
9/24 Chicago, IL Beat Kitchen
9/25 Indianapolis, IN Turntable
9/26 Detroit, MI El Club
9/28 Lakewood, OH Mahalls
9/29 Pittsburgh, PA Crafthouse
9/30 Buffalo, NY Rec Room
10/3 Boston, MA Sonia
10/4 Brooklyn, NY Baby’s All Right (late show)
10/5 Philadelphia, PA Foundry
10/8 Washington, D.C. DC9
10/9 Richmond, VA Richmond Music Hall
10/10 Durham, NC Motorco Music Hall
10/11 Greenville, SC Radio Room
10/12 Orlando, FL The Social
10/13 Atlanta, GA The Earl
10/30 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
11/1 Dallas, TX Ferris Wheelers
11/2 Austin, TX Empire Control Room
11/5 Phoenix, AZ Valley Bar
11/6 Los Angeles, CA Roxy
11/7 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick
11/8 San Francisco, CA Brick And Mortar
11/10 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
11/12 Seattle, WA Madame Lou’s
11/14 Portland, OR Dante’s
11/15 Boise, ID Shrine Social Club
11/17 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
11/19 Denver, CO Marquis
11/20 Fort Collins, CO The Coast
11/21 Lawrence, KS The Bottleneck
11/22 Columbia, MO Rose Music Hall
