Lame Drivers and The Woolen Men have teamed up for a split EP.  Warped power-pop inspired by freeform radio, int’l psych, classic punk and Guided By Voices. Lame Drivers spent much of the past decade in the basement while also playing in other bands like Home Blitz and Get Him Eat Him. They’ve released tapes, cd-r’s, and compilation tracks on labels including 75orLess, Eggy, State Capital and Not Not Fun. In 2011, they released the sampler Cruisin’ Classics for free download. Lame Drivers are soon to release a Flexi-Book EP, a split 7″ with tourmates The Woolen Men on SGG, and something on Gulcher (Kurt Vile, Home Blitz, The Gizmos). In 2011, Lame Drivers, who features WFMU DJ and Home Blitz member Jason Sigal, released the sampler “Cruisin’ Classics” for free on their Bandcamp page, receiving 10,000+ downloads and heavy radio airplay on WFMU, KFJC, East Village Radio and more (Listen to “Cruisin Classics” here!).
The Woolen Men play punk influenced DIY music in the Pac-NW tradition of Dead Moon and the Wipers. More than a sound or style, that means a kind of work ethic — do-it-yourself and do it a lot. The band is happiest touring up and down the I-5 or bunkered in their practice space with the cassette 4-track rolling. And it shows. Live, the band is thunderous and energetic and the magnetic chemistry of the three of them playing together shines through in the recordings. Woolen Men recently released their debut self-titled LP in March 2013 on Woodsist Records (Listen to the song “Mayonnaise” here!).
The Lame Drivers side of the EP features two songs that are very different from each other. “Headhunting” channels Mark E Smith, tight 3-piece groove. “Excess” is from an earlier incarnation of the band, feat Matt LeMay and Kevin Sparks, and is a haunting song about human excesses destroying the planet, and an excessive relationship destroying itself. RIYL Jesus and Mary Chain, shoegaze?
The Woolen Men side reflects their NW punk / NZ pop influences with Deaf Americans, and a cover of the Terminals’ “Frozen Car.”
In support of the new release, both bands will be hitting the road together on a co-headlining U.S. tour beginning later this month (full itinerary below).
May 19 (sun) NYC – Brooklyn @ Shea Stadium w/ Hippy & Shark?
May 20 (mon) NJ – Woolen Men tape @ WFMU followed by a New Brunswick house show
May 21 (tues) Boston MA @ O’Brien’s w/ Bent Shapes, Half Sour
May 22 (wed) Philadelphia PA @ Johnny Brenda’s w/ Literature, Pet Milk
May 23 (thurs) Cleveland OH @ Now That’s Class w/ Chomp
May 24 (fri) Chicago IL @ Permanent Records (6pm) **late show TBA**
May 25 (sat) Bloomington IN @ The Ream w/ Thee Open Sex
May 26 (sun) Nashville TN @ The End w/ R Stevie Moore
May 27 (mon) Memphis TN @ The Lamplighter
May 28 (tues) Little Rock AR @ Professor Bowl
May 29 (wed) Austin TX @ Beerland w/ Simple Circuit, Zoltars, Shinta
May 30 (thur) New Orleans LA @ AllWays Lounge w/ SS Boombox
May 31 (fri) Athens GA @ Farm 255 w/ Eureka CA, Dead Dog (tour kickoff), Little Gold
June 1 (sat) Atlanta GA @ 529 w/ This House, Starfighter
June 2 (sun) Charlotte NC @ Yauhaus (BBQ) + Late Show in Winston-Salem
June 3 (mon) Durham NC @ Fellowship Hall w/ Fruit, Stems
June 4 (tue) Washington DC @ TBA w/ The Best Band In Town
June 5 (wed) Baltimore @ Ottobar Upstairs w/ Crimson Wave, Expert Alterations
June 6 (thur) – NYC @ Cake Shop WM/LD split 7″ release party!!!
June 7 (fri) – Brooklyn @ Silent Barn (Woolen Men only)