The 5th Annual Winter Warmup is Coming
Ladies and gentlemen, we’re living in a post-jam world.
Today’s most respected bands know it, picking up where the improvisational heroes of the 1990s left off. Wilco, My Morning Jacket, the Raconteurs, Blitzen Trapper, Dr. Dog and many more equally emphasize brilliant songwriting and mindbending musicianship, in the process earning adoring fans and critical acclaim. The post-jam principle is so ingrained in the intelligent indie band’s approach that it goes without saying: The song’s performance is as important as the song itself.
The True Spokes know it, too. Through a decade of fearless, seat-of-the-pants music-making, countless live performances, and a handful of beloved albums, the Seattle quintet has developed that rare, magnetic combination of radio-ready songcraft and transportive instrumental chops. Theirs is a musical ethos that’s both timeless and totally of the moment.
After all that history, the moment demands a fresh start. Which is why they are The True Spokes, not Flowmotion, as the band was known for the first ten years of its life. Flowmotion is now the True Spokes. The name change coincides with the release of their brand-new, eponymous album, and the timing couldn’t be better. (The name change was announced November in a letter to their fans on Flowmotion’s website. Read the full letter here.)
Flowmotion played its last gig on New Years Eve 2011; on February 4, they’ll debut as the True Spokes, headlining their album release show at the Showbox in Seattle with San Francisco’s The Mother Hips, and Seattle darling Star Anna as support.
Listen to preview track from The True Spokes’ album at: http://soundcloud.com/truespokes
The Mother Hips have flown under the radar as true indie music pioneers for two decades. Hailed by critics for their “rootsy mix of 70s rock and power pop” (pitchfork.com) and for their unflinching ability to “sing it sweet and play it dirty” (New Yorker), The Hips’ signature sound rings more genuine and relevant than ever before. The Hips – led by co-founders Tim Bluhm (vocals/guitar) and Greg Loiacono (guitar/vocals) – have been playing music for 20 years, and in the process, have had the luxury of exploring and refining their craft. And have never been more primed to share their well-traveled tales – the long days and nights on the road, the gritty politics, the smart inward reflections and man, the music! – all delivered with a most appealing balance of Americana storytelling and their California-burnished rock.
Star Anna is an American vocalist and rhythm guitarist from Ellensburg, WA, described by Barbar Mitchell of NPR as belonging to the genre of Americana and by Nicole Brodeur of the Seattle Times as alt-country. Duff McKagan wrote of her singing, “She is the real deal. There is a pain in her voice that comes from somewhere deep, a place I dare not ask where it comes from.” Brodeur describer her as having “a voice full of bluster that will slam the door behind you, then find itself alone to take in the loneliness, the quiet, the beauty.”
All three bands will converge on The Showbox stage Saturday February 4th at the 5th Annual Winter Warm Up, the event that kick’s off the Summer Meltdown Festival held August 9-12, 2012 in Darrington, WA. As always this event will have the cheapest early bird tickets available, a 4-day festival pass for only $80! This will be the last chance to purchase them at this price so don’t miss out!