One of the best Irish bands who existed, and one of my favourites since I started this site in 2006 have called it a day officially today. Having just released their third album, Adebisi Shank have announced the end of the band as they go out with two final Dublin shows on Thursday, September 25th and Friday night the 26th.
They blew my mind on many an occasion and they leave three stunning albums, an amazing debut EP, memories of masks, sweat and euphoria left on the floors of venues they decimated. And of course, Colin Skehan. With his top off.
Here’s their statement.
We hereby announce the end of a band called Adebisi Shank. From the three of us to all of you, thank you for coming with us on this crazy journey. To Cathy and the Sargent House crew past and present, thank you for believing in us.
Life and music moves on – Lar is making music in All Tvvins, Vin is producing/mixing, working on video games and other cool stuff as VMC Sound, and is also one half of Speed of Snakes. Mick will continue to train for his UFC career.
This Thursday and Friday in Whelans, we will play on an Irish stage for the very last time. Join us if you can. After that, we intend to honour our one existing overseas tour commitment.
To any kids starting bands we offer one piece of advice – play music you love, with people you love, for the people you love.
The Guardian premiere full Adebisi Shank Third album stream a week before release
Irish math rock outfit Adebisi Shank take a ‘say what you see’ approach to naming records: This Is The Third Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank follows sophomore effort This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank and debut - you guessed it - This Is The Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank.
If Adebisi Shank’s album naming methods are a little functional, sonically they are anything but: the band were inspired by a diverse spread of influences in creating TITTOABCAS, including ELO, Enya, Mike Oldfield, Pixar, Crash Bandicoot and Game of Thrones. The result is a retro-futurist brand of math that sounds as close to 80s soft rock and hair metal as it does to the tricksy likes of Battles and Don Caballero.
The album will be released worldwide on Sargent House on August 12th.
Imagine a green pasture through which you and an army of one thousand synthesizers charge toward the ocean on pixelated horses, the sky is gold glitter, and you are a stick of candy dynamite.
That's one approximation of "World in Harmony," the opening track from Irish trio Adebisi Shank's new self-evidently titled "This Is The Third Album From A Band Called Adebisi Shank," due Aug. 12th on Sargent House. Check out the HitFix exclusive premiere of the track below.
"We were trying to make something euphoric and huge, a universe of our own imagination that we could escape into," said bassist Vin in a statement. "Our inspirations were more cinematic and fantastical."
It should tell you something that the band lists video games, movies and one particular HBO hit series among its other more musical inspirations.
Want more to sample? Below is "Voodoo Vision" and "Big Unit," too.
Pre order now on Itunes comes with immediate download of all three of these tracks HERE.
Pre Order on CD or Vinyl Here
The Guardian names "Big Unit' Best New Track, Other critics give their video opinion and Pre-Order goes Live
The most ridiculous thing you’ll hear this week, and also the best. Notionally, Irish trio Adebisi Shank play math rock, a genre which brings to mind someone called Gerald trying to recite Pi to 3,000 digits with their guitar. Big Unit though sounds, well, silly. Basically it’s Wake Up by Arcade Fire, but with that song’s fey indie “woahs” replaced by an audio sample of the Confused.com robot getting waterboarded, while Top Gun guitars squeal violently away in the distance. Ludicrous. More please.
by Gwilym Mumford for The Guardian.
...... but this critic had some different advice
Adebisi Shank's new album is now available for pre-order on CD or Vinyl or bundled with a fine T-Shirt - go right HERE to order. The album will be released everywhere on August 12th, but pre-orders will ship out around August 3rd.
well Eric Limer, wait until you hear the album version of this live Adebisi Shank video for THUNDER, it is now called "Voodoo Vision" and is on the upcoming "This Is The Third Album of A Band Called Adebisi Shank" out on August 12th on Sargent House.
This Is The Third Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank - Stream Big Unit
Artist: Adebisi Shank
Album: This Is The Third Album of A Band Called Adebisi Shank
Label: Sargent House
Release Date: August 12th, 2014
Artwork by : Sonny Kay
Stream "Big Unit"
Tracklisting:
01. World In Harmony
02. Big Unit
03. Turnaround
04. Mazel Tov
05. Thundertruth
06. Sensation
07. Chaos Emeralds
08. Voodoo Vision
09. (trio always)
The (slightly) Discerning Bassist Interview with Vin of Adebisi Shank
Sargent House is a label I can always rely on for music that’s truly innovative and inspiring. Wexford, Ireland’s Adebisi Shank fit right in with the label’s roster both in the sense that they exude sort of a free, child-like jubilance not unlike Fang Island or Tera Melos, but also in the sense that you’ve still never heard anything quite like them. AS are a trio that play an energetic style of futuristic punk that one could probably come up with a pretentious tag like “math-dance” for, but as Vincent would say, there’s really only two kinds of music. His bass can often shape-shift from ballsy pick-attacked Fender Jazz to sugary synth sounds and plenty in between, but it always grabs your attention. Below Vin provides one of the best interviews I’ve had the pleasure of having.
How did you guys form?
You’re from Wexford Ireland, how would you describe the music scene there?
We’ve actually only ever played in Wexford once I think. It’s more our base of operations, but it’s a magical place for us. Think Skyrim.
You’re probably used to people saying your band has a unique and distinct sound, were there any pre-existing ideas that came into this or did it just happen naturally when you guys got together?
Fun happened naturally, sound came later really. I think of the whole thing as a learning experience. We all have different kinda ideas about what kinda music we make which means it’s constantly changing. But at the core is always fun. We’re pretty militant about fun. You could say we’re fundamentalists.
I was surprised to find out that AS is a trio, once I saw a live video I saw that there’s a good deal of pedal work going on. Do you have any advice for acquiring large quantities of gear for the musicians that want to have as many tools available to them as possible? Say for instance, for someone on a budget or someone who lives far enough away from a city that they can’t try gear hands on.
Well first thing I would say is you don’t need any specific gear to make music. I came from an electronic background so while I was pretty into gadgets I also knew that all you actually need nowadays is a basic laptop and a bit of software. There’s costs associated with being in a band, but the cost of making music, of expression, is probably as cheap as it’s ever gonna get. So knock yourself out. The only limitation is your imagination! With that said, sniff out the pedal bargains on craigslist but beware of psychos.
Speaking of which, tell us about your bass rig and why you use what you use.
I play a jazz bass into ampeg pro svt head and an 8×10 cab. When I first was learning bass I got a lend of a jazz bass and that’s what I’ve had ever since. I used to have a Lemmy signature cab but it was just insanely heavy and sounded like, well like Lemmy’s ass probably. The 8×10 is pretty light and sounds cool.
Pedalboard?
Boss Tuner, Super Octave, some Boss Distortion pedal, Bit Crusher, Digitech Whammy, Eventide Pitchfactor.
It sounds to me like you use not just a variety of effects, but techniques as well. Did you practice slap, picking, and finger playing equally in your formative years of playing bass?
I genuinely have no idea what the hell I’m doing 99% of the time. I think what you’re hearing as technique is a secret sauce of ineptitude and desperate sweaty invention. As a beginner I’d read people saying ooooh I’ve no idea what I’m doing and it would dishearten me because it made the process seem overly mysterious, but I know now the intention is liberation. There’s no right or wrong way to do music. We’re all still learning and anybody who says otherwise is either in the Rolling Stones or a liar (or both)
Your label mates in And So I Watch you from Afar are also hard to pin down stylistically. Is genre cross-polination something you see in alot of Irish bands?
I dunno, that’s interesting though. A lot of musicians have multiple projects on the go over here, and I remember like the Kaboogie/Porco Dio gigs where you’d get punk bands on the same bill as breakcore artists, that was pretty inspiring. At the end of the day though, there’s really only two music genres – good and shite.
Are than any awesome Irish bands that we should know about here in the states?
Yeah loads – Ireland has a ridiculous amount of talent – check out Adultrock, Heathers, Tvvins, No Spill Blood, Speed of Snakes, Spies, Le Galaxie, Solar Bears, I Am The Cosmos, Chequerboard, Jape, I could go on and on but blogs like Nialler9 and Harmless Noise are your best bet. Nialler did a great Spotify playlist for St Patricks Day with tons of deadly Irish music so go check that out. There’s also this band called U2, keep an eye out for their new record “Fizzbottle” gonna explode in 2014.
What does Adebisi Shank have planned for the rest of 2014?
Gonna release our new album “This is the Third Album of a band called Adebisi Shank” tour the shit out of it and adopt a kitten.
I want to thank Vincent from AS and Dave from the US/THEM Group for a great interview. Everyone make sure you check out Adebisi Shank’s bandcamp and keep a lookout for the their new record later this year.
Hear Adebisi Shank: http://adebisishank.bandcamp.com/
Follow Adebisi Shank on Twitter
Follow Adebisi Shank on Instagram
Follow Adebisi Shank on Facebook
Live new song recorded in Los Angeles for the Sargent House Studio Sessions
Adebisi Shank perform a new song live from Entourage Studios in Los Angeles. It was recorded to multitrack and mixed by Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Indian Handcrafts) while the band was over for their summer tour in the US with Fang Island. This is part 1 of a 3 part session.
If you need a song to get you revved up and ready to go, look no further; Adebisi Shank has you covered. This Irish trio puts out some seriously upbeat math-rocky craziness, and Genki Shank (free dl) from their album This Is The Second Album Of A Band Called Adebisi Shank is a great introduction.
A bit more intuitive than some of their other, mathier tunes, Genki Shank has a great galloping beat and a perfect example of less-is-more bass playing. It's like the aural equivalent of a stiff cup of coffee. I know I'll listen to it right after I reluctantly drag myself out of bed tomorrow morning, you might want to give that a try too.
<a href="http://adebisishank.bandcamp.com/track/genki-shank" data-mce-href="http://adebisishank.bandcamp.com/track/genki-shank">Genki Shank by Adebisi Shank</a>
Don't Miss Adebisi Shank's last few USA shows with Fang Island
08/28 Raleigh, NC @ Kings
08/29 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
08/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Adebisi Shank American Tour with Fang Island Starts Friday August 10th
Adebisi Shank will be coming back to the US this Summer to support their Sargent House brothers Fang Island on part of their tour in celebration of Fang Island's new album MAJOR release. Joining them on a few of the shows as well will be Zechs Marquise. Now that's a whole lot of Sargent House Family Riffage.
FANG ISLAND & ADEBISI SHANK //MAJOR TOUR 2012
08/10 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour *
08/11 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar (EARLY SHOW)
08/12 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room *
08/13 Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress *
08/14 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad *
08/15 El Paso, TX @ Low Brow Palace *
08/16 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
08/17 Austin, TX @ Mohawk
08/19 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live - Studio
08/20 New Orleans, LA @ Parish at House of Blues
08/21 Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
08/22 Gainesville, FL @ Double Down Live
08/23 St. Petersburg, FL @ The Local 662
08/24 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
08/25 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
08/26 Asheville, NC @ Asheville Music Hall
08/28 Raleigh, NC @ Kings
08/29 Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter
08/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* ALSO w/ Zechs Marquise
SEE ALL ADEBISI SHANK SHOW DETAILS & UPDATES
SEE ALL FANG ISLAND SHOW DETAILS & UPDATES
Adebisi Shank, Toby Kaar at Bunatee Bar, Belfast - Thursday July 26th
Given that tonight's gig in the Bunatee Bar is first and foremost an opportunity for Dublin rockers Adebisi Shank to test out new material as part of their "New Tunez" tour, it would be natural to assume that they might be a tad rusty on the live circuit these days - particularly as their most recent round of serious touring came towards the end of last year. This crowd aren't buying into that notion for a second though, as a quick look around the Bunatee reveals a loyal fan base that are expecting to be entertained. And entertained they are, first of all by Cork native Toby Kaar. Setting up behind a laptop and a few samplers, the audience might be expecting a relatively tame head-bobbing DJ set- but what makes Kaar's performance stand out tonight is that it's just that - a performance.
With various bits of his musical setup glowing and pulsing steadily, Kaar moves head, feet, and just about everything else to trick the audience into thinking that they're not just watching a DJ set.
Fortunately there is nothing modest about the crowd that have amassed by the time Adebisi Shank are ready to perform. The Bunatee has made the quick transformation from an intimate venue to a packed-out sweatbox - all too appropriate given the frantic nature of their set.
Tonight may be all about giving new tracks an outing, but such is the crowd's enthusiasm that whether the band play old classics such as 'You Me' or numbers that the crowd aren't quite familiar with yet, the reaction is the same; beaming smiles and moving feet. Indeed, 'Fun' is the keyword tonight, as the trio power through a set that barely stops to take pause- and does so only when the band's laptop gets temperamental.
Even at that, guitarist Lar and bassist Vinny's experimental noodling whilst normal service is resumed is a joy to watch. It's probably the only time tonight that the audience actually stops to try and comprehend how the band make the sounds that they do, such is the speed and skill with which they play. It's a much bigger sound than a line-up of three would suggest. 'International Dreambeat' is spectacular tonight - the band's second album generally comes across very well. Their new material also seems to suggest a leaning towards Sargent House label-mates Fang Island, which can be no bad thing.
All in all it's an impressive feat that they have taken a genre which can become a bit samey at times, and through their live performance inject a well received dose of variety and excitement into proceedings. Whether that can continue remains to be seen - but they've certainly done it tonight. - Andrew Lemon
DON'T MISS ADEBISI SHANK ON THEIR US TOUR WITH FANG ISLAND
IRELAND : Adebisi Shank Playing Some New Tunez Tour 2012
Adebisi Shank have three shows coming in Ireland, with some New Tunez for you all.
ADEBISI SHANK LIVE
26th July 2012 - Belfast - Bunatee Bar
27th July 2012 - Dublin - Button Factory
28th July 2012 - Castlebar - Live N Loud @ The Clubhouse
This is a documentary looking at some of Ireland's DIY bands and culture over the last 5-20 years or so. It is a Dublin Community Television production and was made by the Community Of Independents collective that works with the channel. Featuring live footage and audio of various Irish artists including Adebisi Shank, ASIWYFA as well as insightful interviews with some of the people that have been involved in the growth of this scene including Mick about The Richter Collective andCathy Pellow from Sargent House and so many more . Enjoy!
Adebisi Shank to Play Mexico & Luxemborg - March 2012
Adebisi Shank will be playing one show in Guadalajara Mexico on March 15th.
and on March 31, 2012 they will play in the Out Of The Crowd Festival at Kulturfabrik in Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxemborg. Check out the Teaser below.
Adebisi Shank: This is the Second Album from a Band Called Adebisi Shank (Sargent House, 3/15/11)
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Released to European acclaim in 2010, the aptly titled second album from Irish electro/math rockers Adebisi Shank achieved North American release this year thanks to the peerless Sargent House.
The management company / record label describes the trio as a blend of Fang Island’s shredding riffs with Battles’ electronic quirkiness and rhythmic playfulness. That description isn’t off the mark, but readers won’t get a sense of the band’s real abilities until they hear its hyper-melodic, polyrhythmic, and — most importantly — jubilant songs in full.
Second Album delivers a maelstrom of zany electronics, unusual distortions, and triumphant, rapidly ascending scales mixed with vintage synths, marimba, horns, and other accoutrements. This is all packaged between and around gloriously catchy and powerful rock riffs, resulting in a manic and buoyant sophomore effort.
Click HERE to see the Full List
