EMA UK/EU SPRING 2012
Wow. Do you realize that “Past Life Martyred Saints” came out less than a year ago? It’s been one crazy, long, beautiful year.
I just stopped writing for like 5 minutes trying to think about what to say. I’ll just be quick.
This is probably our last tour on this record. One last time in Europe, one last time in London and the UK. We’ve got some new songs added to the live show, but this tour is quite possibly the last time that we will perform this album in its entirety. After this I’m taking a break to work on new material. Full dates and venues are at the bottom of this post.
COACHELLA
I had a dream right before Coachella that I was back in high school and about to fail a test. A test about green onions. (Science? English? I have no clue!) This is a recurring dream I have where I am flunking out of high school, but this time in the back of my mind i was like, BUT HOW AM I GONNA PASS HIGH SCHOOL WHEN I’M SUPPOSED TO GO PLAY COACHELLA?!? Priorities.
How rad to get to play “CALIFORNIA” with those awesome palm trees in the background!
To answer your quick Qs: yes, I did see the hologram. No. I did not smoke weed with Snoop Dogg. And yes I have lots of new thoughts on spectacle, Jumbotrons and how venue affects performance. But let’s jump from dusty outdoor tent to shiny bright museum, shall we?
NYC
After that we rolled to NYC to play the Culture Shock festival at SUNY Purchase. In my mind I had made a subliminal wish to get to go see the Whitney Bienniale, but it seemed impossible. Besides a general interest in checking out some of the best and brightest young things in contemporary art, my old LA friend Dawn Kasper was part of the show, having moved her entire studio into a space on the third floor. But we did not have the time or the money to get there. At the last minute the SUNY show came through and it was like some magical thinking shit.
Dawn Kasper straight on
I surprised Dawn in her studio and afterwards we all went out for dinner and drinks. It seemed like a dream come true. When she asked us to come back and play that Friday, it was just above and beyond.
We were playing at the Whitney but it felt like a punk show. We were on the floor and we were loud. It felt like at any second someone could come by and shut us down. I told the audience to come in close and thrashed around amongst them; standing on a chair, bouncing on the bed, grabbing a fistfull of thumbtacks and squeezing them in my hands and across my chest. During that whole time I felt incredibly happy.
us playing, Dawn filming.
NYC also gave us some time to practice with our latest pinch-hitter, the awesome Sarah Register who usually plays in Talk Normal (and also mastered Past Life Martyred Saints!) I feel real lucky that it worked out to have her on board as she is awesome. Talk Normal have a new record coming out in the fall on Joyful Noise. Keep an ear out! Sarah will be with us in Europe. Bring earplugs.
Here is an awesome mix tape Sarah and I made.
EMA SPRING 2012 TOUR DATES:
05/10 NOTTINGHAM @ Bodega Social Club
05/11 MANCHESTER @ Night & Day Cafe
05/12 BRIGHTON @ Great Escape Festival
05/15 LONDON @ Scala
05/16 PARIS @ Olympia w. Garbage
05/18 PARIS @ Flèche D’Or
05/22 ROTTERDAM @ Rotown
05/23 AMSTERDAM @ OT301
05/24 ANTERWERP @ Trix
05/26 VIENNA @ Flex
05/27 SALZBURG @ ROCKHOUSE
lookit that came outta nowhere 
What’s wrong with Dublin, Ireland?
oh darlin! nothing’s wrong at all. i hope to get over there at some point, i really do. and i’ll still play all ur favorite songs ok?
Cool! ‘Cos I’m even tempted to come over to Manchester of Amsterdam or Paris to catch you this time – if I had more free time. Here’s my review of Past Life Martyred Saints, from the State.ie website:
http://www.state.ie/34101-album-reviews/ema-past-life-martyred-saints
It was my album of the year in our end of year poll.
Keep it up, love your stuff…x
No time for Scotland? 😦 You’d love Glasgow.
YES! coming to Scotland / Glasgow for the Stag and Dagger fest on May 19th!!!
I might come over…from Dublin, Ireland. Did you like my review?
EMA,
Just wanted to drop a note and say I discovered you through Coachella this year and I can’t stop listening to you. Definitely the most exciting “new” artist I’ve heard in a few years. This use of noise and harmony you have to build toward catharsis is profound, and I’ve never heard it so purposefully explored before. The religious theme of your album is dead on – there is an ecstasy to listening to your stuff that very few pop artists achieve.
Looking forward to see where you go from here.
Cheers,
Saw you in DC in the spring. It was completely amazing. I read about Dawn Kaspar, the artist who lived in her exhibit, when I read about the Whitney Biennial but of course didn’t know she was your friend. (I hope you didn’t hurt yourself too much with those tacks!)
Who if anyone in the lineup I saw here in DC will Sarah Register be replacing? The lineup I saw was a wonderful ensemble, and this big unique authentic electric-electronic folk-rock sound that came out (hope you’re not offended by any of the categories I just splattered on you) was wonderful and powerful. I really really hope there is quality audio documentation of the Past Life tours because I feel that the live sound & arrangements even exceeded those of the record, which I love & will be listening to forever. So, my prayer is for a live release from this time period.
The show in the spring was the first live music I’d been out to see in a few years because of being absorbed and preoccupied by death and illness in my family. Thanks for making music that pulled me back out into the light of day after all that time! ❤ ❤ ❤
Hey Daniel! Sorry it took me so long to get back to u, been takin a little more time off from interwebs recently. Thanks so much for your nice words! I’m so happy that I could play any small part of getting u back out into the light of day 🙂
As far as live recordings go, I’m really not sure how much we have, unfortunately… I can be bad at documenting. Maybe I’ll snoop around tho, and there are some live sessions around. The one from radio 4 Vienna (Wien) I really like a lot.
Right now we are practicing and writing new stuff as a 3 piece, so there is no second guitarist at this point. I really like 3 pieces generally so well see if this works out. The main thing I want is someone with a pretty voice to sing backup vocal harmonies with me. That would be a dream!
Oh by the way I have those dreams about flunking high school all the time…and it’s been like a really long time since I was in high school?!!