Epigonentum is currently a big topic in music and has been extensively discussed by Simon Reynolds in his book "Retromania." Every new band seems to sound like an old favorite from the 60s, 80s, or 90s.
So it's all the more delightful when something original comes along: ALAMO RACE TRACK (conveniently abbreviated as ART) hails from Amsterdam and was formed there in 2001. At that time, they were still called Redivider, but after the loss of their keyboardist, they continued under a new name, and thus Alamo Race Track was born.
It was a YouTube video of their song "Black Cat John Brown" that quickly garnered 200,000 views in 2006 and greatly contributed to ART's popularity. Their album also titled "Black Cat John Brown" was released in October 2006 and became one of the major successes in the Dutch Alternative Music Charts. This was followed by a support tour for the Arctic Monkeys, a performance at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, and a three-week "Tour de France." In France, they met the renowned filmmaker Vincent Moon, who creates special concert moments with his Take-Away Shows and had already managed to squeeze Arcade Fire into an elevator to perform there. Moon filmed an unforgettable two-part video for his La Blogotheque series featuring ART, placing them in excellent company alongside The National, Wilco, and Bon Iver. Also in 2006, "Black Cat John Brown" made it into the American series "Grey's Anatomy," which significantly contributed to Snow Patrol's breakthrough, leading to a release of their album with the American label Minty Fresh and a performance at the New York CMJ festival.
After a five-year hiatus, ALAMO RACE TRACK finally returned this year with "Unicorn Loves Deer" (Haldern Pop/Excelsior Recordings), their third album, featuring a changed lineup and a new, folksier, more naturalistic sound.
28.02.2012: Cologne - Blue Shell
29.02.2012: Hamburg - Prinzenbar
01.03.2012: Berlin - Privat Club
03.03.2012: Munich - 59:1
Booking: FKPScorpio
Further information can be found at the following links:
http://www.alamoracetrack.com/
http://nl-nl.facebook.com/alamoracetrack
Tickets for the shows are available for 12 euros plus fees at all known CTS-VVK outlets as well as via the hotline 01805-853 653 (14ct/min / mobile max. 0.42 € / min.) and on fkpscorpio.com and eventim.de.
