First Listen: Endless Summer + Summer Tour

We're kicking off the today's tour with a cover of the theme from the 1966 cult-class surf film, The Endless Summer. Get your first listen at Paste Magazine now. Out everywhere Friday, July 29.

LISTEN HERE

We'll see you on the road.

Jul 28 Austin, TX @ The Sidewinder

Jul 29 Houston, TX @ The Continental Club

Jul 30 Birmingham, AL @ The Firehouse

Jul 31 Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light

Aug 4 Brooklyn, NY @ Baby's All Right

Aug 6 Kitchener, ONT @ Kitchener Blues Festival

Aug 7 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle

Aug 9 Denver, CO @ The Hi Dive

Aug 11 Flagstaff, AZ @ Firecreek Coffee

Aug 12 Los Angeles, CA @ The Hi Hat

Aug 13 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah

A letter home

Dear Mom and Dad,

Tour is going great and is pretty much a non stop laugh riot. It's really beautiful traveling through the states in springtime. 

The first few shows have all been total ragers and there's a surprising number of fans coming out to see us. In Amarillo the other day, someone recognized the guys and I while we were having lunch at the steakhouse and paid for our tab. Then we all got Texan cowboy boots, and afterwards I bought everyone milkshakes at What-A-Burger with the $20 you gave me before I left. It definitely won their hearts. 

The scheduling is pretty hectic, so immediately after that it was straight to the hanger so we could meet with Jeff, our pilot, and take the bi-plane our label leased us to get to our gig in Dallas. Jeff keeps the wings rigged up special. So if you dare, you can walk out on them, strap in standing and he'll do barrel rolls and other tricks he learned flying in the war. It was scary, but I did it for a few minutes after being persuaded by the guys on how fun it would be. Turns out, they were right--what a blast!

Then we went to Memphis and we played the national anthem before the Grizzlies game. The green room hospitality was on point and the guys literally had to drag me out of the artists jacuzzi so we could get to our next gig in time for sound check. 

We finally got some time off near Atlanta where the guys and I blew off some steam at Six Flags and rode roller coasters until our manager, Roman, puked on himself and ordered everyone back on the bus. 

Hope you're doing well back home and everyone is healthy and happy. I look forward to seeing you and sharing my photos and more memories! 

With love,

Anthony

get back in the van

A brief three weeks off and back in the van we get. I'm currently sitting in the parking lot of a New Mexican hotel waiting for the dudes to rise. Last night was fun as was Flagstaff and Tucson before it. Today proves to be mellow as we don't need to be in Dallas until tomorrow evening and yet it is only five hundred miles away. Not entirely in the mood to drive, might just stay lazy in the back seat and catch up on a little TV on the cellphone. That being said, we are making our way across this fine country of ours and we look forward to seeing all of you. Check the "live" page for dates and come say hi when you can.

-Tim

Good times on the road

       Just home from the first leg of our spring/summer touring. Started in Austin for five days of SXSW madness. The shows we played were quite the success and the friends we bumped in to made all the difference in the world. It is a fun corner of the world to be in to be sure. From there we headed north making our way ultimately to Bellingham, WA before heading back south. Along the way we had the pleasure of playing the treefort music festival in Boise, ID. It was a beautiful spring day and we played just before sunset to a very enthusiastic crowd. The kicker being that directly after we played we were treated to a performance by one of our favorite bands Built to Spill. As good as remember if not better then when I last saw them years ago. It truly was an honor to share the stage with those dudes. 

      South from there we met back up with our friends Buxton in Las Vegas. Only being in the city of sin for 14 hours is probably a good thing, but it didn't feel long enough. They had never been, so before and after the show we did our best to give them the basic run down. That rundown pretty much consisting of "This is Frankies, the best Tiki bar in town" and "aren't those lights pretty?" If you've seen one casino you've seen them all. Coming to the end of the tour we had a few days between Vegas and LA so we headed out to the dessert and set up shop at our friends house outside of Pioneer Town. Jammed most of the days and nights, refreshing some old songs and writing some new, the reset was just what the doctor ordered. Can I just say, the songs that came out of the dessert this trip are sure to be amongst our best. That place is magical, we need to do it again.

       After that it was LA, and a raucous home-coming in San Diego. We do love it here. Sent Steve to the airport and settling back in a bit before we hit the road again a few weeks. The next trip is a quick one but its covering a lot of ground. East coast and back so keep and eye out for our arrival. in the meantime swing over to our gallery page and check out the instagram feed for pictures from the trip. 

   Talk to you soon.

-Tim

We out here!

We done did it. Met Steve at the airport in Austin got our rental car, hotel room, and loaner bass then rocked out our first show of SXSW. Three more to go then home for a string of shows up the west. Dates for those on our tour page and the SX dates pictured above. If you too are in Austin this week come say hi. We'd love to see ya! Or anywhere else for that matter. 

                                                          -Tim

Summer festivals

There are a lot of things the donkeys enjoy doing. We are an amicable people. One of things introduced to us a few years ago that we just can't get enough of is Huichica. A summer festival in an endless sea of summer festivals, but what this one lacks in national recognition it more than makes up for in solid vibes and good times. Tucked into the hillside of the sonoma valley in the heart of California's wine country, Gundlach Bundschu vineyard plays host to this two days wine and music. Come join us June 12-14 you will be changed, for the better of course.

     On that subject, it also seems as though we will be attending a few more of these epic outdoor shindigs. When our inclusion in said line ups is confirmed I will let you all know more about them.

-Tim

SXSW & BEYOND . . .

It's that time of year again for all of us to pack up and head to Austin for what will yet again prove to be an exhilarating (if not to say exhausting) week in the great nation of Texas. The exact details of the shows to be preformed there will be forthcoming but rest assured we will rock them all. On top of that we are heading up the west coast shortly thereafter to play some shows with our good friends from Houston (Buxton) on their album release tour. The entire trip culminating with a stop in Boise, ID to take place in the Treefort Music Festival.  I do believe a nation wide tour is in the works and we should be announcing those dates soon. So keep your eyes peeled for the updates and everyone of us looks forward to seeing everyone of you.

Bye for now.

-Tim

hello burritos,

Starting to try and knock out some New Year's Resolutions.  One that I've been promising to do for more than a year (to myself and some very patient bandmates) was to get more involved ONLINE!  A necessary evil or flash in the pan fad I ask?  Well, I have a feeling it's sticking around awhile, evil or not.  So what the hell, a Bloggin I will a Go Go.  Now this might age us Donkeys,  but we spent our formidable pimply daze with just a sniff of the new futuristic cyber world we live in today.  No cell phones,  Snail Mail was a thing for super-brained mollusks on vacation and we all had stashes of Nudie Magazines (or even Underwear Catalogues) stashed around our parents' house.  What am I getting at you ask??? I have just the smallest sliver of focus here.  I guess what inspired me to end my online silence was a record I picked up in LA a few weeks ago while up working on some new Burro Blasters.  I found a 7-incher, Man or Astroman's "Captain Holojoy's Space Diner." Unfortunately I left this mini pancake in our van for a bit.  But I retrieved it last night and got to spin it  a few times this morning while drinking coffee.  And it got me thinking..... Not only that the record is the shit...but also what a great time the '90s were.   Bill Clinton playing sax on the Arsenio Hall Show, Three Legged Jeans, Jackie " The Joke Man" Martling, Lucky Lager and photo booths at the mall to name a few examples. I know, I know, there's great music now, and I must admit I'm probably missing a lot of awesome stuff.  Maybe I was just more aware and hungry for live music when I was a teenager.  But even mainstream radio had songs playing that I could relate to, that inspired people like me to try and start a band. Dinosaur Jr. had a video on MTV for heaven's sake.  Say what you will about how cool Matt Pinfield was, we can agree he is way cooler than that Pauly D dipshit.  120 minutes to The Jersey Shore,  it's kind of the perfect example of the evolution of our mainstream culture.  This record was a reminder to me that music should be fun and exciting. 14 inches full of songs about eating diner food in space!  I think the older and longer we keep playing in the same band we start expecting things to happen. And yes, we want to continue to make better records and get more proficient at our musicial - errr - skills.  But that we at least need to keep fun in the game or we are burnt toast.  Man or Astroman made me so excited about being in a band.  To have a chance to be creative and hopefully write a song as good as "The Universe's Only Intergalactic Radioactive Breakfast Bar."  Something that lately gets pushed aside at times.  We spin our wheels talking about the future and plans.  Sometimes we need to just embrace the present and let a fart joke fly!

-Sam

If you don't know. . .

Before the donkeys there was a band by the name of the Moon and Sixpence. Comprised of Alex Delanda, Jessie Gulati, Anthony Lukens, and Sam Sprague. Three of those names may sound familiar, or perhaps all four, Alex is now half of the creative duo behind Extra Classic. I digress, The Moon and Sixpence in my humble opinion was one of the best bands to come out of southern California in the nineties. I feel safe saying it as I wasn't in the band, I just stood by wishing I was that cool. They played often; house parties, coffee shops, bars up and down the west coast. If you didn't know them before it only took a couple songs before you'd be dancing along to their unique brand of rock and roll. In the summer of 1999 they recorded and released three songs on uncarved block records. Short and sweet this record showed all the promise in the world. Shortly after that release while on a tour to the Pacific Northwest the band got the attention of Vern Rumsey of the band Unwound and the Label Punk in My Vitamins. It wasn't long before they were back on the road to Olympia, WA this time to record a full length for Vern's Label. From what I remember of the demos and rough mixes that record would have killed it. Unfortunately I speak of it in the past tense as the record never made it out of the studio. For one reason or another it just didn't work out and I do believe the world to be a little sadder of a place as a result. With that being said there is still this 7" and it is just as good today as it was in '99. Feel free to check it out here, you can also head over to our store and pick it up as a download. With any luck one of our mutual friends is holding on to those demos or rough's and wouldn't mind sharing with me. When that happens I will definitely be sharing them here. Enjoy

click here to listen

Stretching Our Legs

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January 21-24 we hit the road with our friends from PDX &&&. The first date is at the Chapel in the mission district of San Francisco. That night we will be joined by our favorites Extra Classic. Moving on to Los Angeles to play at the Echo on Sunset. Next, to our home town for a romping Friday night at the Casbah with the Ditches. Then to finish in a psychedelic freak out in the dessert at Pappy and Harriet's, Pioneer Town. Come one come all to one and or all. Each night sure to offer a new and exciting experience. Looking forward to seeing you.

Back in the Studio

We made the drive north to Los Angeles to get back to work with our old cohort Thom Monohan. This Time to get the rest of our ducks in a row before hitting the studio. Last time we were up here we flushed out three songs to be released on a follow up e.p. to Ride the Black Wave. With a few more shaping up nicely on this trip, I think we are well on our way to get this thing done and out by early next year. Keep an out, maybe I'll throw a preview up in a little bit. See you all soon.

The store is open....

We did it! we finally organized our catalog and t-shirts and put them up in a store for all to peruse. So click on over and see if we can help you with any of your Donkeys' needs. Operators are standing by to process your orders and get you all along on your merry way.

Happy Holidays!!! 

California dates announced with &&& and friends

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Our friends from Portland &&& are releasing a new album and gonna be headed south to promote. We decided it would be in our best interests to hit that road together. So, as it stands we have three shows confirmed and a couple pending. First off Jan. 21 San Francisco with Extra Classic at The Chapel. Los Angeles will most likely follow, just waiting on the venue. We got the Casbah on Jan. 23. Then out to the dessert to show Pioneer Town whats up at Pappy and Harriet's. A quick trip to kick off the year but a fun one all the same. Get the nights off work and come hang out with us.

Welcome to the new home of the Donkeys

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The last website was a good one in that it served its purpose nobly. With 2015 knocking on the door it is time we stepped up the game a little bit. So here it is, mostly operational, I feel I will be tweaking this thing quite a bit in the following weeks. The most exciting part of the new site is the store. We now have all our albums for sale in all formats and I will soon be adding our apparel. New photo and video gallery as well as a section for our "mix tapes". Come back often as we plan on updating it frequently.