"Cities Townies" Studio Project

Exit380: Back in the Studio -- Album No.5 "Cities Townies" EP

We headed back to our studio in January to begin work on our 5th full length album, and the music has been pouring like oil through a sieve (roughly completing 9 tunes). The theme is thus far unchartered for us, but I can promise you that it is already shaping up to be "interesting" to say the least.

Some of the tracks could begin leaking into our live sets, so keep an ear out. We'll hit you with more info as this project progresses.

-blocker (3/9/09)
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The Progression

Okay, the project has progressed. We are in mid-April and sitting at 15 new songs. The music is split down the middle with straight-on Rock, and the other half of Folk.
Having a new member, as well as, additional writer in Jeremy Hutch, has been a huge thrust creatively. The tentative name for the record is "Cities Townies" reflecting the music's duality, and in many ways mirroring our split personality as a band too; half from the city and half from the country, and the varied points of view that produces.
We posted a compilation of some of the tracks thus far, here on our myspace player. Enjoy.
-blocker (4/14/09)
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More, More, More

...make that 20 songs. Another big couple of weeks creatively in the studio and the number of new tracks continues to rise.
Most of the tunes are much more upbeat from the previous outing, "The Life & Death Of Mr. & Mrs. Alexander Stone". Bringing us from the melancholy and a bit more into the light. The form of the record is not close to solidification though, so the final product may still stray into darkness...we'll see.
-blocker (4/28/09)
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POST-SUMMER UPDATE

It has been a few months since the last post and now it's the post-summer season. We topped out our demos at 22 songs in May and have scuddled them away for these months to work them out.
We have decided on a handful (that being 5) to pre-release for an EP. We will be re-recording those tunes in the coming months and my next BLOG post will give you an actual date of the EP release.
-blocker (9/4/09)
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CITIES TOWNIES EP

We've decided to go with producer/engineer Alex Gerst @ Indian Trails Studios near Denton to record half of the EP. Gerst has recorded some great locals including Moving Atlas, The Feds, Slow Roosevelt, Advent, Fair To Midland and more. So, needless to say we are pretty excited about seeing what direction his ear will bend ours.

The month of November will be spent recording at both Indian Trails and AB Studios, putting a release at early 2010.
thanks!
-blocker (11.3.09)
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INDIAN TRAILS SESSIONS

We just wrapped up our Indian Trails Sessions w/ Alex Gerst and just by hearing the rough mixes we can tell this might be the best work yet. We recorded "Street Trash View" and "Caught In A Lie", and we will post them as soon as we get the mix, and you can judge for yourself.
-blocker (11/9/09)
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FW WEEKLY "Hearsay" Section (12/3/09)

One thing I kinda "get" is mod-rock. I like a lot of the stuff I hear from 817 bands but not too much from elsewhere. So I'm a homer. In the words of the fisherman in the painting in Goodfellas: Whadda you want from me? And while indie-rocking hipsters uniformly write off contemporary mod-rock as a junkyard full of wannabe Pearl Jams or Toadies, I think most cool kids are mistaking sonic musculature, melody, and neat structure for artifice. Have we gotten to the point in our culture where rock music done well and in earnest is "fake" or "disingenuous"?
Does a song have to be sloppy, out of tune, and subtle to qualify as "truthful"? Is ironic distance -- essentially, making fun of yourself before anyone else can -- the only criterion for progressive music? If so, my friend, you need to readjust your logic goggles. Moving your preconceived notions to the fore of your consciousness is the first step in achieving an actually honest perspective toward not just rock music but all art. I also bet that more than half of the guitarists and drummers in allegedly progressive local bands (read: Denton post-punks) couldn't sit in with some of Fort Worth's most exemplary mod-rock outfits, including Merkin, In Memory of Man, and Exit 380, bands that are loud, in tune, and tight as hell. So put your prejudices aside for a minute and experience some quality mod-rock for yourself on Friday, when Exit 380 plays Lola's Saloon-Stockyards (105 W. Exchange Ave., 817-386-5008) with Loretti, Pepper Lane, and Potbelly. Co-produced by Alex Gerst (The Feds, Slow Roosevelt, Fair to Midland), Exit 380's fifth recording, tentatively titled Cities Townies, will be out early next year.
- www.fwweekly.com

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Master Tapes

We'll be receiving in our master tape for the "Cities Townies" EP today from Bart Rose @ Fort Worth Sound.
The release date(s) is/are still pending with the bookings getting worked out right now, but the tentative time looks to be late-February for the DFW area!
In the meantime, we posted 2 of the "Cities" tracks here on Myspace, as well as, the album promo shots Courtesy James Villa Photography.
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EP Release Date Set

The release date has been set for Sat., Feb 27th @ TREES in Deep Ellum. We hope you are as excited as we are to push this one out and cram it into your ears.
The discs have been sent out to all corners of the four winds, so look for reviews to start popping up in the local magazines and the like. Darryl Smyers of the Dallas Observer has been the first to post on their DC9 Music Blog.

View HERE: Dallas Observer DC9 - Exit380 "Street Trash View"