Monday, September 21, 2015

Updates soon!

Sorry for falling behind on updating here, I'll fix that soon. Until then, please check the Twitter account (@BRAIDSnews) for all updates.

Friday, August 21, 2015

Leeds, England on Nov. 25th

Another date for the upcoming European tour! Nov. 25th at Headrow House. Tickets on sale here.

'Miniskirt' in Detroit on Aug. 1st

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

'Miniskirt' in Taipei on July 3rd

2 new Interviews

2 new interviews with Austin. One at Ottawa Citizen (which reveals that the band will be doing a headling tour of Europe), and at Apt. 613 (which reveals that the band will be touring North America again early next year, and that they'll be mixing in some of their older material in the upcoming sets, starting with the Autumn tour).

Friday, August 14, 2015

Bristol, England on Nov. 26th

While the band haven't officially announced it yet, they will be playing at The Lantern at Coston Hall in Bristol, England on Nov. 26th.

Los Angeles & El Paso shows added

BRAIDS have added 2 new shows for their North American Autumn Tour: 

Oct. 7th - Los Angeles, CA at the Lyric Theatre (Tickets - Promo code is IRIS)


Oct. 10th - El Paso, TX at Lowbrow Palace (Tickets)

KTRU interview in Houston, TX

Interview backstage at House of Blues in Houston, TX on May 24th, 2015.

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Clips & Photos from Detroit

My favorite band and my favorite song ❤️ @braidsmusic

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#braids #BRAIDSband #arbutusrecords #detroit #TheD #livemusic

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Friday, July 31, 2015

Halifax Pop Explosion in October

BRAIDS will be playing the Halifax Pop Explosion on either Oct. 23rd or 24th! Get passes here.

#3 on the DiS Communities' list!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

'Taste' video coming soon!

Day 1 of Taste music video wrapped! @braidsmusic

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The lovely Raphael. #transcendent

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Sunday, July 26, 2015

Photos from Hillside Festival (July 26th)

Such a treat to meet Raphael of @braidsmusic yesterday. This two piece couldn't have found a better home ☺ ️

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Saturday, July 25, 2015

Photos from Hillside Festival (July 25th)

#Braids at the #IslandStage #HillsideFestival @arbutusrecords @hillsidefestival

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#braids killing it #hillside @ewilson11

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Hillside Hum Q & A

From The Hillside Hum:

Hillside's artistic programmers have always had their eye on emerging talent, especially when artists are still on the rise. One such act that played the fest long before they were tastemaker faves is Montreal-via-Calgary electro-acoustic trio Braids, who bring the pointed lyrics and heady atmospherics of their Polaris Prize-shortlisted Deep In The Iris album to the Island Stage this afternoon.

Recorded in Arizona, Vermont, and upstate New York, Deep In The Iris (the group's third LP) marries singer Raphaelle Standell's arresting vocals with sharp-eyed lyricism that covers some pretty heavy modern territory, including pornography, abuse, and slutshaming (as on the track "Miniskirt").


If that all sounds pretty serious, don't worry – Standell (who's joined by bandmates Austin Tufts and Taylor Smith) clearly has a quirky sense of humour, too, if her responses to the Hum questionnaire are anything to go by...


Have you been to Hillside before?


YES!


What do you think sets Hillside apart from other summer festivals?


It’s on an island and is primarily Canadian bands. Also there's a softness to the festival that other festivals do not have. A lot of festivals are dirty and loud – Hillside is like a pillow and grass with a cold cider.


Any artists you're keen to see at Hillside?


Doldrums! Because he is seriously one of the best musicians I’ve ever seen live. His latest album, The Air-Conditioned Nightmare, is incredible.


What's your favourite part of playing festivals? Least favourite?


LIKE: I like being taken care of. It’s honestly like a summer camp for adults. 

DISLIKE: Playing in daylight. It’s really hard to see the lights on our controllers.

Are there any songs that have become a 'fan favourite' in your live set, or that you particularly love to play?


Yes – "Blondie". Because we have this crazy ending [to the song] – you'll see...


Favourite festival food?


Exotic fruit platter.


Tell us something interesting about you (either personally or musically) that we might be surprised to know.


U: "Choose a door." 

Me: "I choose door Number 6." 
U: "Are you sure?" 
Me: "Yes, I’m sure." 
U: "But what if there are thousands of snakes behind this door?" 
Me: "Well, I never really thought of that..." 
U: "Well, you should probably consider the possibility of snakes behind that door."
Me: "Then I choose door Number 8." 
U: "Well, how do you know there aren’t 10 horses demanding to be groomed?" 
Me: "Because I’m allergic to horses and I currently don’t have the sniffles." 
U: "That’s a keen awareness." 
Me: "I’m pretty perceptive." 
U: "So you’re allergic to horses?" 
Me: "Yes, terribly so." 
U: "That’s too bad – they have such beautiful coats to pet." 
Me: "I know, I’ve had to learn to observe such beauty from afar." 
U: "Oh." 
Me: "I think I’ve come to love them more because of the distance."

Braids plays the Island Stage on Saturday at 3:55 p.m., and the Alternate SoundSunScapes workshop with Doldrums on the Sun Stage on Sunday at 6:15 p.m.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

"Something exciting is brewing!"

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Autumn Tour Dates!

More dates for the Autumn tour have been announced!

Sept 17th - Montreal, Canada at Little Burgundy Piccolo Rialto. (Tickets)

Sept. 22nd - Toronto, Canada at Lee's Palace. (Tickets)

Sept. 24th - Chicago, IL at Subterranean. (Tickets)

Sept. 25th - Champaign, IL at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts (Tickets)

Sept. 26th - St. Paul, MN at Turf Club. (Tickets)

Sept. 27th - Winnipeg, Canada at The Good Will. (Tickets)

Sept. 29th - Calgary, Canada at Commonwealth Bar & Stage. (Tickets)

Sept. 30th - Edmonton, Canada at Denizen Hall. (Tickets)

Oct. 2nd - Vancouver, Canada at The Cobalt. (Tickets)

Oct. 3rd - Seattle, WA at LoFi. (Tickets)

Oct. 4th - Portland, OR at Bunk Bar. (Tickets

Oct. 6th - San Francisco, CA at Bottom of the Hill. (Tickets)

Oct. 8th - San Diego, CA at Soda Bar.  (Tickets)

Oct. 9th - Phoenix, AZ at Valley Bar. (Tickets)

Oct. 12th - Dallas, TX at Club DaDa. (Tickets)

Oct. 13th - Austin, TX at Mohawks. (Tickets)

Oct. 16th -Atlanta, GA at The 529. (Tickets)

Oct. 17th - Raleigh, NC at Kings. (Tickets

Oct. 19th - Washington, DC at DC9. (Tickets)

Oct. 20th - Philadelphia, PA at Boot and Saddle. (Tickets)

Oct. 21st - Boston, MA at Great Scott. (Tickets)

Oct. 22nd - Brooklyn, NY at Baby's All Right. (Tickets)

Bangkok review and photos

Music Weekly has photos and a very nice review of the Bangkok show.

Videos from Vietnam

Monday, July 20, 2015

The F Word Interview

New interview with Raphaelle at The F Word. An excerpt:

Could you talk us through the lyrics to ‘Blondie’? While the music is joyful the lyrics have a certain darkness in them.

There has been abuse in my life, and I needed to regain strength from it, to rise above it, so we made two really awesome songs that helped in that. I’m not ashamed at all. I am proud to have given a voice to issues of abuse as no-one should be made to feel quiet about anything that has hurt them.

Champaign, IL on Sept. 25th

 
BRAIDS will be part of The Pygmalion Festival in Urbana-Champaign, IL. They are playing on Sept. 25th at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts with Zola Jesus. Tickets are on sale here.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

HONGQIAO mix


From oki-ni: Montreal-based trio Braids’ mix is inspired by the band’s recent tour in Asia. Providing an antidote for the bustling streets of the continent’s cities, it features mellow, atmospheric tracks from Bill Evans and Deerhunter alongside custom vocal samples recorded in Shanghai’s Hongqiao airport.

After releasing their third record Deep In The Iris on Montreal's burgeoning Arbutus imprint, (also home to fellow MIX SERIES contributors Blue Hawaii) Braids have been busy touring across Asia.

Amongst the hustle and bustle of some of the continent's largest cities including Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai, the band felt themselves searching for a moment of calm:

“The original theme we had in mind for this mix was 'Cotton Candy', the idea being we pull together a run of bursting pop tracks, sparkled and bright.  We've been touring in Asia the last few weeks, and while trying to make this 'Cotton Candy' mix, I kept being drawn back to calmer, more explorative music, mostly instrumental, atmospheric, warm.

“Perhaps it's the overload of being in Asia for the first time, seeing these endlessly enormous cities, fractured and overflowing, disparate and stimulating.  So much sensory input all the time, resulting in a desire for music that's more therapeutic, something to reground with.”

Offering a moment of relief from the unrelenting noise of any city, Braids' mix features a range of subdued, mellow tracks from Bill Evans, Deerhunter and Flash Palace, alongside a vocal sample recorded by the band at Shanghai's Hongqiao airport.

 For more from Braids, follow them on Facebook, Soundcloud and Twitter.
 
TRACKLIST
1. Flash Palace - (IS)
2. Autechre - Rae
3. Family Music - Untitled
4. Azeda Booth - Ben
5. Flash Palace - moveice=blueair
6. Bill Evans - Alice In Wonderland
7. Morgan Greenwood - humidife
8. Deerhunter - Tape Hiss Orchid
9. Morgan Greenwood - mic gun19
10. Flow Child - Cool Rider
11. Free Nude Celebs - Fwiends

BRAIDS play Dallas on Oct. 12th!

Hell yes! Looks like that Autumn headlining tour is starting to take shape. BRAIDS will be playing Club DaDa in Dallas, TX on Oct. 12th. Tickets go on sale July 24th at 10am.

Clips & Photos from Singapore


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And a bunch of photos on Moon Beats Asia's Facebook.

Friday, July 17, 2015

Clips & Photos from Bangkok, Thailand

Braids live in Bangkok

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mood

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T A S T E #braids

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#braids

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#braids live in Bangkok

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#braids live in Bangkok

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#Braids 👼

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#Braids 😍

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glad to see you're on my drums #braids #austintufts

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Thursday, July 16, 2015

Clips & photos from Vietnam

Thursday night chill #jessbi #cargosaigon#BRAIDSmusic#vscocam

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#braidsmusic #braids #vsco #vscocam #deepintheiris

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Radio Tank Live: 'Miniskirt'

Live in studio version of 'Miniskirt' posted at Tank Magazine.

'Deep in the Iris' on Polaris Prize Short List!

Congratulations to the band on making the Long List. Very well deserved! The 10 album Short List will be announced on July 16th.

Update (07/16/15): And even better news today, as the band have made it to the Short List! Congratulations again!

'Miniskirt' in Vietnam

BRAIDS live at Cargo Bar, D4, HCMC.

Posted by Khuê Minh Phạm on Thursday, July 16, 2015

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

"It's gonna be hot!"


BRAIDS will be playing at Kilo Lounge this Saturday! Here's a friendly video greeting from them.Don't miss this chance...
Posted by Moonbeats Asia on Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

The Albums That Shaped BRAIDS

Nice article at Bandwagon on some of the bands favorite albums.

More Best of 2015 honors

The Music Times have 'Deep in the Iris' at #7 on their Best Albums of 2015 (So Far) list:

"Braids is like this generations Dirty Projectors, but with only one singer and more experimentation. Ditching twinkly guitars for piano-based composition, the Canadian art rock outfit released one of the most impressive albums in years with Deep in the Iris. This record runs the gamut of musical numbers—including ballads, anthems, dance tracks and slow-burning rock tunes. We’re told stories through lyrics complimented by really incredible orchestrations and understated underscores. The lyrics are incredibly personal, ranging from childhood stories to straight-up just talking about pornography, but every subject is equally beautiful and haunting on their own levels. Throughout the album, you can’t help but fall into a sort of hypnosis from singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston’s incredible voice. It’s a subtle but strong voice that ranges from a melodic whisper to an empowering siren akin to Björk. This album is pretty much what Björk would make if she was 25 years younger. -JN"

And 'Miniskirt at #9 on their Best Songs of 2015 (So Far) list: 

"This song is such a trip. It starts off as a feminist ballad about rape culture and double standards, but transitions into an autobiographical, Canadian anthem. As the first single off of the impressive Deep in the Iris, “Miniskirt” laid the foundation of Braids’ next evolution. The title itself catches your attention, but soaring vocal melodies and lyrics of frontwoman Raphaelle Standell-Preston brings you deeper into this very personal song and its message. Strong words like “slut,” “bitch” and “whore” jump out early on in the track, adding a taste of taboo, but the second layer’s dizzying drum beat takes over until we’re ready to rewind the track for countless repeats. -JN"

Saturday, July 11, 2015

Photos from Hong Kong

What a day #braids #hking #getlost #getlostclothing

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BRAIDS. Just incredible.

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#braids in #hongkong what a treat #vscocam

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