Pages tagged “sea wolf”

Since the advent of the DVR, sports are about the only thing I watch live on TV. So the Olympic Games have reintroduced me to the TV commercial, something I've managed to avoid outside of college football season and the occasional Braves game. And the quality of music has been a pleasant surprise (even a crappy beer like Bud Light—or Bud Light Lime—has the sense to use Santogold). Here are the best songs in commercials running during the Olympic Games:

An Internet search of the phrase “sea wolf” will reveal more hits about the Jack London novel than it will the band by the same name, but perhaps a sea change is imminent. Sea Wolf, whom you’ve hopefully read about by now, is headed off on its first headlining tour.

The band, comprised of principal songwriter Alex Brown Church and a changing cast of other musicians, has been touring for the past year to support its debut full-length, last September’s Leaves in the River. Having already opened for Nada Surf and labelmates Silversun Pickups, Church and Co. will now have the pleasure of an opening band: Brooklyn-based The Jealous Girlfriends . Sounds like Sea Wolf is all growns up!

In other news, on April 14 the band released a new radio single, "Black Dirt." Sea Wolf has also written a song for the audio version of Augusten Burroughs’ newest memoir, the aptly named A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father. Sea Wolf’s track is entitled “Song of the Magpie,” and will join exclusive songs from Ingrid Michaelson, Patti Smith and Tegan Quinn of Tegan and Sara . A Wolf at the Table is due in bookstores on April 29.

See Sea Wolf (Wolf):

May
17 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Plush
19 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ In The Venue
20 - Denver, Colo. @ Bluebird Theater
22 - St. Louis, Mo. @ The Bluebird
23 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Exit In
24 - Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Local 506
25 - Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel
27 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
28 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
29 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ North Star
30 - Boston, Mass. @ Paradise
31 - Quebec City, QC @ Le Cercle

June
1 - Montreal, QC @ Le Divan Orange
3 - Toronto, ON @ El Macambo
5 - Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas
7 - Winnipeg, MB @ Parkway Theater
9 - Calgary, AB @ The Republik
10 - Edmonton, AB @ Velvet Underground
12 - Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
13 - Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar
14 - Seattle, Wash. @ High Dive
15 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir
17 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent
19 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Echoplex
20 - San Diego, Calif. @ The Casbah

Related links:
Feature: The Paste Faunomusicology Society Presents: A Field Guide to Animal Bands
SeaWolfMusic.com
Sea Wolf on MySpace

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Fun Fact: Jack London’s novel, The Sea-Wolf, inspired the band's moniker. Appropriately, its tour van is named The Ghost, after the ship in the book.
Why Its Worth Watching: Sea Wolf combines the precision, flair and innovation of '60s rock pioneers with a sparse, folk-infused delivery.
For Fans Of: Andrew Bird, The Decemberists, Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian

Alex Brown Church always had a boyhood fascination with wolves. As time would have it, his intrigue with one of folklore’s central antagonists begged him to create a mythology of his very own via the aural tales eloquently delivered through his alter-ego, Sea Wolf.

Tasteful full-length debut from another indie troubadour disguised as a band

Like Conor Oberst, Sam Beam and Matt Pond before him, singer/songwriter Alex Brown Church understands that there’s more to life and art than an acoustic guitar. His band Sea Wolf has no permanent members other than himself, but the conceit allows the onetime NYU film student to draw on L.A.’s entire indie underground for the tones and textures that enrich his cinematic songs. Church’s first full-length—which borrows only the self-defining “You’re a Wolf” from the introductory EP he released earlier this year (though he should’ve also included folk-noir fable “I Made a Resolution”)—leans heavily on cellos and violins for its chamber-pop ambience, further defined by Balkan minor-key colors and the existential use of space. The material and presentation are musically subdued and verbally refined, but the only truly sticky tracks are “Winter Windows,” which brings some accordion-pumping kineticism to the recipe, and “The Rose Captain,” which sports an arching melodic hook worthy of Coldplay.

In the band world, the wolf is the king of the jungle. Despite the up-and-coming bears and deer, wolf bands rule all other animal bands: Wolf Mother, Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, Howlin’ Wolf and, of course, the aquatically inclined Sea Wolf. Sea Wolf’s debut LP Leaves in the River comes out September 26, and the band has a whole mouthful of tour dates lined up, including a number of shows with Nada Surf in October.

On September 16, the band will play San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival, alongside Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Spoon and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

It’s all enough to make you want to howl. Underwater.

Dates:

September
13 - Santa Barbara, Calif. @ SoHo Restaurant & Music Club
16 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Treasure Island Music Festival

October
4 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir
5 - Seattle, Wash. @ Chop Suey
6 - Bellingham, Wash. @ The Nightlight Lounge
7 - Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
11 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ 7th Street Entry
15 - Columbus, Ohio @ The Basement (with Nada Surf)
16 - Cincinnati, Ohio @ The 20th Century Theatre(with Nada Surf)
17 - Louisville, Ky. @ Jim Porter's Good Time (with Nada Surf)
18 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ Birdys (with Nada Surf)
19 - Dekalb, Ill. @ The House Cafe
20 - Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas Tavern (with Nada Surf)
22 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Gargoyle Club @ Washington University (with Nada Surf)
23 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Exit In (with Nada Surf)
24 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottletree (with Nada Surf)
26 - Tampa, Fla. @ State Theatre (with Nada Surf)
27 - St. Augustine, Fla. @ Cafe Eleven (with Nada Surf)
28 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The EARL
29 - Athens, Ga. @ 40 Watt Club (with Nada Surf)
30 - Asheville, N.C. @ Orange Peel (with Nada Surf)
31 - Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat's Cradle (with Nada Surf)

November
1 - Charlottesville, Va. @ Satellite Ballroom (with Nada Surf)
2 - Baltimore, Md. @ The 8 x 10 (with Nada Surf)
3 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ North Star
5 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
6 - Boston, Mass. @ Middle East Upstairs
7 - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
9 - Toronto, Ont. @ El Mocambo
13 - Denver, Colo. @ Larimer Lounge
14 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Urban Lounge

Related links:
SeaWolfmusic.com
Sea Wolf on MySpace
Treasure Island Festival website

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Alex Brown Church is a pretty cool rock name — easily pronounceable, tripartite, and vaguely British-sounding. But at some point, Church decided that he would present his music to the world as Sea Wolf. Sea Wolf is also pretty cool, but its suggestion of underwater ferocity has very little to do with Church’s sound, which is elegant and restrained.

You’ll soon be able assess whether a sea-dwelling, scary canine is the first animal that comes to mind as you listen to the sweet sounds of Sea Wolf. On September 25, Dangerbird Records will release Sea Wolf’s debut album, Leaves In The River. Seattle producer Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, Band of Horses) helped with the recording process, as did Jacquire King (Tom Waits). Sea Wolf will tour with Silversun Pickups this summer, followed by more touring in the fall. It is unknown whether Church will perform during full moons. Underwater.

July:
26 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Hammer Museum
29 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ In The Venue *
30 - Denver, Colo. @ Ogden Theatre *

August:
1 - Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown *
2 - Boulder, Colo. @ R&R Convention
4 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Gaslight
6 - Toledo, Ohio @ Frankie's *
7 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Agora Ballroom *
9 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue *
10 - Newport, Ky. @ Southgate House *
11 - Chicago, Ill. @ Schubas Tavern
18 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Sunset Junction

* with Silversun Pickups

Related links:
SeaWolfMusic.com
Sea Wolf on MySpace
DangerbirdRecords.com

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.