Bishop Allen - Grrr…

Last week Bishop Allen, one of The Blot’s favorite indie rock bands, released their third full length album Grrr… I haven’t heard it yet, but I ordered the album a few days ago and can’t wait to hear what Justin Rice and Christian Rudder have been working on since 2007’s The Broken String was released. I’ve been lucky enough to see the band perform three times, and every time I see them they are better than the last. Unfortunately, I was sick the last Bishop Allen played Houston, and for some reason even though they were in Texas last week for Austin’s SXSW, they only scheduled a show beforehand in Dallas and not one afterwards in Houston.


I don’t know what the deal is, but for some reason a majority of indie artists skip over Houston completely when traveling through Texas, choosing to schedule shows primarily in Dallas and then Austin before heading out West. One of these days The Blot is going to have to plan a trip to SXSW so I can finally check out some of the amazing indie artists I’ve only read about/heard online since most of them will never come to The H. It’s really a shame that even though I lived in Austin for four years I never attended one of the world’s greatest music showcases in my own backyard.


Anyway, Bishop Allen has just launched a world tour to support Grrr… and if the band is coming to a city near you I highly suggest going. Their indie pop is really addicting, and Rice, Rudder and Co. put on a fantastic show. You can check out Bishop Allen’s scheduled tour dates below:

Bishop Allen
The 2009 Grrr… World Tour
Mar 23 - L.A. @ Troubadour
Mar 24 - S.F. @ Rickshaw Stop
Mar 26 - Salt Lake City @ Kilby Court
Mar 27 - Provo @ Velour
Mar 28 - Denver @ Hi-Dive
Mar 29 - Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Saloon
Mar 30 - Minneapolis @ Triple Rock
Mar 31 - Chicago @ Subterranean
Apr 02 - Northhampton @ Iron Horse
Apr 03 - Cambridge @ Middle East
Apr 04 - Brooklyn @ Music Hall of W'burg
Apr 05 - New York @ Bowery Ballroom
Apr 14 - Amsterdam @ Paradiso
Apr 15 - Groningen @ Vera
Apr 16 - Ghent @ Voruit
Apr 17 - Utrecht @ Ekko
Apr 18 - Hamburg @ Knust
Apr 19 - Berlin @ Live at Dot
Apr 20 - Köln @ King Georg
Apr 21 - Münster @ Gleis 22
Apr 22 - Osnabrück @ Glanz und Gloria
Apr 23 - Leipzig @ Ut Connewitz
Apr 24 - Karlsruhe @ Substage
Apr 25 - Freiburg @ Swamp
Apr 26 - Offenbach @ Hafen
Apr 28 - Heidelberg @ Teufel
Apr 29 - Geneve @ L'Usine
Apr 30 - Düdingen @ Bad Bonn
May 01 - Konstanz @ Kulturladen
May 02 - Wien @ Wuk
May 03 - München @ Feierwerk
May 04 - Colmar @ Le Grillen
May 05 - Paris/Rouen @ TBA
May 06 - Manchester @ Cafe Saki
May 07 - London @ Bardens Boudoir
May 08 - Cardiff @ Clwb
May 09 - Reading @ Oakford
May 10 - Brixton @ The Windmill

Bishop Allen – Bishop Allen & The Broken String

This Brooklyn, NY indie rock band might just be one of The Blot’s favorite bands. While many consider 2006 to have been Bishop Allen’s year due to their release of a 4 song EP every month of 2006, I just couldn’t pass up talking about their sophomore album. Bishop Allen & The Broken String, released July of ’07 by the Austin, TX label Dead Oceans, takes many of the best tracks from their 2006 EPs, re-records them, and the result is just an amazing second album.

Justin Rice and Christian Rudder, who make up the core of Bishop Allen, are fantastic song writers and performers. They, along with a rotating cast of musicians, have made two unique indie pop albums (the first being 2003’s Charm School) that are extremely fun and catchy. Already Bishop Allen & The Broken String is making waves through the entertainment industry as their songs have been prominently featured on television shows (Ugly Betty, Aliens In America) and in a recent Sony camera ad, which has aired during NFL games this season. Feel free to check out two songs off of Bishop Allen & The Broken String and one song from Charm School below.

You can download Bishop Allen’s sophomore album Bishop Allen & The Broken String for free by signing up for eMusic's no risk trial offer for 25 free MP3s. Click here to sign up today.

Bishop Allen – Click Click Click Click {MP3}
Bishop Allen – Rain {MP3}
Bishop Allen – Things Are What You Make Of Them {MP3}
(from BA’s first Album Charm School)

Bishop Allen Official Site
Bishop Allen MySpace Site