Listen to "Tie You Up"
on Relix, here: http://bit.ly/1PDtxq3
With megawatt charisma, Andy Frasco & The U.N are gearing up to release their new album "Happy Bastards" on Feb. 26 via Ruf Records.
Produced by Rick Parker (Lord Huron, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club) and John Avila of Oingo Boingo, this fourth full-length album shakes your feet and skewers your woes.
"Happy Bastards'" twelve new songs are an industrial-strength blast of glass-half-full optimism, with the band's self-styled brand of party blues jostling with funk, soul, rock and roots.
For more information, please visit: andyfrasco.com/.
Co-written by Andy, guitarist Shawn Eckels and Kenli Mattus, these all-original songs are emotionally resonant and rip-it-up exciting, driven by the chemistry between the core U.N. lineup of Ernie Chang (sax), Andee Avila (drums) and Supaman (bass).
"I basically picked my favorite musicians from around the world," Andy said. "I have a few guys from the Netherlands, Germany and guys from Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and California. That's my favorite thing about music. It's so universal; it doesn't matter where you're from or what language you speak."By extension, these songs are universal, too, with everyday worries fueling everyman anthems. As Andy nears his thirties, the lyrics tell of a man accepting his mileage but poking maturity in the eye, with irresistible results.
"The lyrics are really about being in a quarter-life crisis," he said. "Trying to adapt to being an adult without losing that kid in your spirit or soul."As such, there's the reckless excess and reggae breakdown of stompy highlight "Mature As Fuck."
There's the funk-bass mob chant of "You're The Kind Of Crazy I Like."
Both ends of the romantic process are documented by the soul-drenched breakup tune "Good Ride," and the acoustic-led alternative seduction ballad, "Let's Get Down To Business."
"I'm trying to bring a different interpretation of what people think the blues is," Andy said. "Not all blues need to be sad and lonesome. I love acts like Wilson Pickett, Marvin Gaye, Buddy Guy, The Band, Samantha Fish, Houndmouth - all these acts that really made the blues their own style."Andy Frasco & The U.N. are surely destined to join that pantheon of greats.
The band was formed in 2007, yet the frontman's own backstory goes back further still, to his roots as a precocious 16-year-old manager/promoter on the West Coast.
"I was sneaking into rock clubs trying to sign the hip new LA bands," he said. "...making business calls at lunchtime in my Math teacher's classroom, just so they would believe I was older than 16.Across the US and Europe, on major stages from Wakarusa to Zwarte Cross Festival, Andy earned a reputation for full-throttle, sweat-drenched, smash-and-grab live shows.
"I was living two lives," he adds. "But it brought me the foundation to eventually book myself for the first five years of my career when nobody really gave a shit about me. I knew I needed to earn their respect, so I told myself I'm not going to stop until I see my dreams come true. I've been on the road for ten years straight, playing over 250 shows a year, through six countries, basically living in a van. It's a toss and pull relationship, and I wanted to try and give commentary on those subjects on 'Happy Bastards.'"
"We're just trying to throw a party," he said. "Get people to turn off their phones, leave their stress and complications at the door, live in the moment and just celebrate life for a few hours. If by the end of the night I see 90 per cent of the room laughing and smiling, then I know I did my job."Andy Frasco & The U.N. are set to release their fourth studio album on Feb. 26.
For more information, please visit: andyfrasco.com/.
- Tie You Up
- You're the Kind of Crazy I Like
- Doin' It
- Make It Work
- Mature as Fuck
- Here's to Letting You Down
- When You're Lonely (Fill You Up)
- (Oh My My) Can't Get You off My Mind
- Let's Get Down to Business
- Blame It on the Pussy
- Good Ride
- My Recovery
Upcoming Shows
Jan 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Boom Boom Room
Jan 22 - San Francisco, CA @ Boom Boom Room
Jan 23 - Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond's Garage
Jan 24 - Bend, OR @ Volcanic Theatre Pub
Jan 26 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Jan 27 - Jackson Hole, WY @ Town Square Tavern
Jan 28 - Idaho Falls, ID @ Shilo Inn Pub
Jan 29 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
Jan 30 - Park City, UT @ O.P. Rockwell
Jan 31 - Huntsville, UT @ Snowbasin
Feb 3 - Denver, CO @ Cervantes Other Side
Feb 4 - Steamboat Springs, CO @ Schmiggity's
Feb 5 - Winter Park, CO @ Ullr's Tavern
Feb 6 - Ft. Collins, CO @ Hodi's Half Note
Feb 9 - Manhattan, KS @ Aggie Central Station
Feb 10 - Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room
Feb 11 - Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads
Feb 12 - La Salle, IL @ Uptown Grill
Feb 13 - St. Louis, MO @ Broadway Oyster
Feb 14 - Hazel Green, WI @ Sandy Hook Tavern
Feb 17 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
Feb 18 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
Feb 19 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout Inn
Feb 20 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Bell's Eccentric Café
Feb 21 - Columbus, OH @ Woodlands Tavern
Feb 23 - Washington, DC @ Gypsy Sally's
Feb 24 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café
Feb 26 - Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
Feb 27 - Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
Mar 1-Mar 5 - Miami, FL @ Lebrewski Cruise
Mar 8 - New Orleans, LA @ The Howlin' Wolf Den
Mar 9 - Lafayette, LA @ City Bar
Mar 10 - Monroe, LA @ Neat
Mar 11 - Fayetteville, AR @ George's Majestic
Mar 12 - Tulsa, OK @ Shrine
Mar 13 - Little Rock, AR @ Stickyz
Mar 15-19 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
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