andynelson Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 (edited) Hello, friends. Your new hymnal is available now. Resistance music for dangerous times. Listen & get limited vinyl here (includes immediate download):http://www.theeopencity.com Euros & Brits go here:http://endhitsrecords.bigcartel.com/ Wholesale copies available through Ebullition, RevHQ and Revolver. About the record: "I know you’d like if we just sat silent / and never challenged your ideas," asserts Rachel Rubino in the opening moments of Open City, the eponymous debut by the Philadelphia four-piece, over a blast of hardcore dissonance. “So here's how we feel, here’s what we want, here’s what we need: to be heard!” Open City is a project embedded with histories — people, places, sounds, scenes. Bringing together collective decades of experience in East Coast punk and DIY communities, specifically ones known for prying open the melodic sides of punk rock, hardcore and post-punk, the project is: singer and lyricist Rachel Rubino (Bridge And Tunnel, Worriers), bassist Andy Nelson (Paint It Black, Ceremony, Dark Blue), guitarist Dan Yemin (Paint It Black, Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Armalite), and drummer Chris Wilson (Ted Leo & the Pharmacists). “Hell Hath No Fury” is the album’s opening track, an apt point of entry to Open City’s ten tracks of dynamic post-hardcore and Rubino’s wide-ranging vocals, which fluctuate from shouts and screams, to melodic hooks and the occasional deadpan. “I've personally never felt like I fit into the binary of what a woman should be or do,” Rubino says, reflecting on the song. “I feel a strong desire to disconnect gender from talents and actions. I constantly want to find new ways of challenging myself, and through that to challenge the stale ideas others have placed on us. I refuse to do so in silence. I believe in the individual’s right to govern themselves based on what they feel is right and true to their vision of a positive reality.” A shared ideology is central to Open City. The project grew out of a mutual desire for a band that rehearsed continuously, coupled with an urgent need for something faster and more aggressive than some of its members had done before. Yemin, Nelson and Wilson spent a year carving out the band’s sonic framework, searching for a singer who spoke their common musical language, one inspired by 90s basements and commitment to DIY as an ongoing process. By the time they found Rubino, they’d already linked up with Will Yip at Studio 4 to record the instrumental tracks for the record, fueled by eagerness, frustration, and utter necessity. The result is an album that moves seamlessly, full of thoughtfulness and careful rage. Open City draws direct inspiration from a specific period in underground punk. “The most exciting shows I’ve seen in my entire life have been in basements in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York, during 1991 through the early 00s. Specifically Sarah Kirsch’s bands,” Yemin says, speaking of the prolific punk songwriter who played in 12 bands over 20 years, including John Henry West, Torches to Rome, Bread and Circuits, and Fuel. “Those bands were really inspiring in terms of how she did things, what the records sounded like and looked like, the interface between content and design, and presentation and process. Most recently Mothercountry Motherfuckers, the posthumous record that just came out, that was my favorite record of the past few years.” In the early 90s, Kirsch’s music left Yemin in awe: for its aggression, for its melody, the energy, the things said on stage between songs. Open City weaves in and out of pointed themes: sexism, not staying silent, but also the hollowness of words in the face of inaction. The stakes are high. “I am tired / and you are right / we’ve given up the fight,” Rubino scowls on “Nerve Center”. “Trading my cards in for other efforts / find a place where I can be more effective / What a fucking joke!” It’s a song that stares you right in the eye and couldn’t be better timed. "All these words they don’t mean shit when all you do is yell at bricks," Rubino screams on a cut that rallies against inequality, “Brother I'm Getting Nowhere.” These are songs about sleepless nights, the reality of endings, about feeling stuck, honing on a purpose; about fighting, and then not fighting. “There's an inherent anger at the systems of oppression and abuse that constantly diminish and destroy the efforts of folks who are fighting for a better world,” Rubio says. “There's a deep disappointment for a lack of support and care from individuals in my life and in my community who I expected more from. There's a heavy dose of self-analysis, in a range from self care to self-loathing. Finding hope in strange places. Mourning loss along a timeline you cannot control. Trying to understand it. Admitting that I can't. It exists in that tense place where frustration is fighting apathy.” - Liz Pelly Upcoming Shows: Feb 03 - Suburbia - Brooklyn, NY Feb 04 - Aurora - Providence, RI Feb 05 - In The West - New Brunswick, NJ Feb 16 - Everybody Hits - Philadelphia, PA Feb 17 - Comet Ping Pong - Washington, DC Feb 18 - Black Iris - Richmond, VA Feb 19 - Downsquares - Baltimore, MD Apr 29 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA Edited January 31, 2017 by andynelson ozfacter, cephcarn4 and jonnywreck 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 Also, Pressing Information 800 CLEAR WITH HEAVY BLACK SWIRL 400 VIOLET 200 COKE BOTTLE CLEAR jonnywreck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnywreck Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This is fucking rad. Will pick this up without hesitation. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamitekid Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Will these be available at your shows coming up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shenanigans Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 ordered. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted January 31, 2017 Author Share Posted January 31, 2017 We probably will NOT have vinyl for the shows in February (maybe tapes). Records are at the plant now (everything is approved) but I don't want to make promises and then not come through. We will definitely have free lyric sheets though! jonnywreck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottheisel Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 This record rocks. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynamitekid Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 4 hours ago, andynelson said: We probably will NOT have vinyl for the shows in February (maybe tapes). Records are at the plant now (everything is approved) but I don't want to make promises and then not come through. We will definitely have free lyric sheets though! Welp. Ordered then. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thacriddler Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Great stuff. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cephcarn4 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 Ordered! andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 We're down to like 10 copies of the clear vinyl. For some reason people are ordering more of the clear w/ black than the violet (probably because it's so pretty)??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Crackrock Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 or the coke bottle. erybudy loves coke so... andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 OK, coke bottle is all gone unless you're Australian, in which case you can buy one of the 25 we are sending to Resist: http://shop.resistrecords.com/collections/feature-releases/products/opencityselftitledlp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnywreck Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 1 hour ago, andynelson said: We're down to like 10 copies of the clear vinyl. For some reason people are ordering more of the clear w/ black than the violet (probably because it's so pretty)??? It matches the artwork perfectly. I tend to go for the most limited variant but opted with the clear w/ black. andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 1, 2017 Author Share Posted February 1, 2017 I mean it IS gorgeous...just wait until you hear the vinyl mastering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallowken78 Posted February 2, 2017 Share Posted February 2, 2017 (edited) I missed the coke bottle so now I've gotta decide between the other two....decisions, decisions. This was an awesome surprise to stumble upon today. Edit: Now I'm seeing that the Euro version is on white with a silkscreen cover. The plot thickens. Edited February 2, 2017 by hallowken78 andynelson 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 2, 2017 Author Share Posted February 2, 2017 Your options are limitless* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 Brooklyn tonight. https://www.facebook.com/events/222936008165507 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GradedOnACurve Posted February 3, 2017 Share Posted February 3, 2017 See you there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 15, 2017 Author Share Posted February 15, 2017 More shows this weekend: 2/16 Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hitshttps://www.facebook.com/events/636977289815085/ 2/17 Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Ponghttps://www.facebook.com/events/1781449685513722/ 2/18 Richmond, VA @ Black Irishttps://www.facebook.com/events/209268179546830/ 2/19 Baltimore, MD @ Downsquareshttps://www.facebook.com/events/1833373453587171/ www.theeopencity.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted February 16, 2017 Author Share Posted February 16, 2017 (edited) Philly tonight, a benefit show for Electrifest... https://www.facebook.com/events/636977289815085/ *TONIGHT*Thursday February 16th 8:00pm PINKWASHOPEN CITYORDINARY LIVES At Everybody Hits (529 W Girard Ave. In Philadelphia, PA) All Ages / $5 -> ∞ Donation Suggested This show is a benefit for Electrifest. Taking place in Philadelphia April 8th & 9th, Electrifest is an event for LGBT folks centering POC navigating healthcare, wellness and institutional trauma through radical music and art. For more on Electrifest, please click here - https://www.facebook.com/events/273076116428498/ Edited February 16, 2017 by andynelson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andynelson Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 Hi. A gig-only version of the LP exists and there's only 100 of them. You can get them only from us at shows while they last. Here are two such places to get them: https://www.facebook.com/events/1145038288898708/ Saturday April 29 @ The First Unitarian Church THE +HIRS+ COLLECTIVE RADIATOR HOSPITAL OPEN CITY PANDEMIX SOUL GLO SOLARIZED https://www.facebook.com/events/415998608765978/ Monday May 22nd @ PhilaMOCA RVIVR OPEN CITY BIG NOTHING EMPATH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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