Outer World is the psychedelic partnership of Traci Wilson (of Dahlia Seed and Positive No) and Kenneth Close (also Positive No), born when Wilson had to work her way through the changes that long COVID forced in her singing style. In her review, Jennifer Kelly called the title track to their debut album, “a hands-in-the-air, hips-on-a-swivel psychedelic bop along the lines of Os Mutantes’ ‘Bat Macumba.’”
They've provided us with a supersized Listed, saying "We just completed the final show of spring dates and it feels like we should share some of the things that were playing in the van relating to the cities we traveled through." The second part is here.
Hard Copy — Torpedo
Easily our favorite Richmond, VA band who joined us for our tour kick-off and record release. An incredible art-punk quartet who have mastered space and tension. Every time we see them they morph into a unique version of themselves and it was such a treat to have them be part of sending us off.
The Sewerheads — Man of Finite Sorrow
Our old band, Positive No, befriended and played many shows with The Gotobeds from Pittsburgh, PA. When putting together our show in that city, it was natural that Eli's new band The Sewerheads would be involved. We are big fans of anything he does, and The Sewerheads are no exception. They are brash and dive into a dirge feeling that's rooted in nostalgia but fresh all at once.
White Noise — Love Without Sound
Our dear friend Sam Richardson had the grand opening of his new record store, Feel It Record Shop (sharing the same name as his most excellent record label) the day we were playing in Cincinnati, OH. As a record-collecting band, that was our first stop upon arriving in town. There were many goodies procured and finding a pristine copy of an Outer World favorite, White Noise was simply tops.
Clickbait — Sundae with Peanut
Jen Lenmasters came to our attention via her always informative and very cool IG account She Bop which focuses on women in rock/punk in her record collection. She and her husband Nick own Bric-A-Brac (record shop) as well as the Brewed (coffee shop), which we put on our short list of places to visit in Chicago. They also happen to play in an exciting art punk band called Clickbait who have a new record coming this July. It was a no-brainer to ask them to share a bill with us.
Tyvek — Wayne County Roads
En route to Michigan, we were blasting Tyvek in the van and we all were bopping our heads to this song as it played. Such an anthem and great driving music to boot! Shelley, who is among the current line of the band, kindly helped us put our Detroit show together and we also shared the bill with another current Tyvek member’s band Deadbeat Beat who earned band most worthy of a record deal award of tour.
Randy Carlos — Satellite U.S.A
Our first stop in Detroit was Hello Records where some of the Tyvek crew also works. We procured this beautiful Latin comp that looks like a stereo sound test record, but it is filled with goodies including this magical Randy Carlos song.
The Makers — Don't Challenge Me
Kevin and Shelley from Tyvek DJ'd our Detroit show — seriously the best DJ set of all time. They played some of our all time favorite records to DJ, and this killer single was among them.
Winged Wheel — Grief in the Garden
We played Tubby's in Kingston, NY after a few days off (Earthquaker Devices, tiki drinks, and Niagra Falls - oh my!). Tubby’s is one of the coolest and most artist friendly spots on the east coast and is co-owned by Cory of Winged Wheel,Spray Paint, and Rider/Horse. The new Winged Wheel record came out a few days later and we not only played it on release day on tour, but it has lived on our turntable ever since we got home. A best of 2024 alert!
Please see the first part of Outer World's Listed (with intro!) here.
Scarce — Hope
One of Tracy’s oldest friends is bass player Joyce Raskin who was a member of the 1990s New England group Scarce, and is also one of the world’s best live performers of all time. When we learned she would be coming to our Boston show, we had to play everyone in the band our favorite song by them.
Perennial — Up-Tight
Outer World and Perennial have become fast friends over the past year. They jumped in to save the day at the 11th hour to jump on our Boston show. This song is a complete highlight to watch live and an absolute monster of punk colliding with a love for modern soul.
Cyril Cyril — Le mensonge
Tracy grew up working at a record shop called Flipside in Pompton Lakes, N.J. (And yes, this is also the same shop that inspired this award winning documentary by Chris Wilcha) We popped by on tour and also visited the book/ record store Station 1 around the corner. The owner also likes 1960s infused French music, so we sung the praises of Cyril Cyril whose brand new record was a van favorite on tour. Cyril Cyril takes the idea of library music, post-punk, and kosmiche to new and exciting places.
Lungfish — Signpost
The two most Baltimore things we can imagine are John Waters and Lungfish. Driving into the city blasting Lungfish just felt right.
Current Reading
Tracy is currently reading We Started a Nightclub: The Birth of the Pyramid Cocktail Lounge as Told By Those Who Lived It ( Brian Butterick/Susan Martin/Kestutis Nakas (Damiani)
Kenny is deep in to 100 Artists' Manifestos: From the Futurists to the Stuckists (Penguin Modern Classics)
