Columbus folk-rockers the Black Swans recently put the finishing touches on their long-gestating record Don’t Blame the Stars, which will be released on CD in late April by Misra Records. The album is tribute of sorts to the band’s late violinist Noel Sayre, whose final recordings are housed on the release. The band describes the record as “a batch of songs about placing faith in friendships, music, and yourself.” In an effort to have the album released on vinyl, the group has turned to the increasingly popular funding platform Kickstarter to raise the funds needed for vinyl mastering and manufacturing. Any pledge of $20 or more garners the contributor a copy of the record on their format of choice, while higher pledge levels offer up perks such as limited edition 45′s, private house shows or the band writing and recording a song about a topic of your choosing. The group is looking to reach their $3,000 goal by March 21. In the meantime, the Black Swans are on tour on the West Coast before making their way back East in February. A full list of tour dates is included after the break.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Aquabear will continue our series of curated shows at ARTS/West in Athens, Ohio with a very special show on Monday, September 13th at 8pm! The Black Swans and Bird + Flower from Columbus will come down and join Athens’ own Caitlin Kraus for a damn fine way to spend the first night of the work/school week. The Black Swans are kicking off the 6-week Satisfied Mind Tour tour across the south, east coast, and northeast and we are thrilled to have ‘em. They are fresh off the release of “Words are Stupid” earlier this year and playing “House shows, art spaces, bars, restaurants. Acoustic trio. Mean, thirsty, bored.” Joining them will be fellow Cow-Towners Bird + Flower who played a gorgeous set at this past May’s Nelsonville Music Festival and contain members of The Black Swans, Super Desserts, and more. And finally rounding out this great night is Athens songwriter Caitlin Kraus, who has some fantastic songs to play for you all. This event is a collaboration between ARTS/West and Aquabear Legion for the Americans for the Arts Action Fund’s 50 States 50 days initiative. So that is pretty awesome too.
