Likened to “watching two superheroes do their thing,” by SF Weekly, instrumental duo El Ten Eleven may not don capes but their musical acrobatics are indeed extraordinary to witness. The LA-based twosome will soar into the new year armed with their combination double-neck bass/guitar and drums assault for their second tour in support of their latest LP, It’s Still Like A Secret, released last month on the band’s own Fake Record Label. The pair will celebrate New Year’s Eve performing in Dallas at Trees before setting off on a tour of the western United States on January 11. They will be joined January 13-15 by experimental psychedelic indie rockers Pan Astral, the new project featuring members of Lotus and Signal Path, who will be making their live debut. Emerging LA space-pop band Superhumanoids will be main support from January 19 until January 29, where the bands will close out the run at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa.
Influential radio station KEXP has been a longtime supporter of the band throughout the years and the love affair continues to grow. Album track “Falling” was handpicked yesterday as the station’s “Song of the Day.” The track, described by them as possessing a “Mogwai-ish grandeur,” was featured on the “Morning Show with John Richards” and is available for free download and through their Podcast via iTunes.
El Ten Eleven’s fourth album, a mix of densely textured rhythms, rumbling bass and an ingenious use of guitars, continues their explorations into the atmospheric wonderland and brings together elements of their previous LPs while filtering it through a newfound urgency they developed on the road. This past fall, the band traversed the country once again and pushed past the 400 shows mark wowing audiences with their musical wizardry. The live show is truly a technical marvel as the duo recreate their pounding landscapes without the help of a single computer or sequencer. Instead, Kristian Dunn wields a double-neck bass/guitar and a fretless bass and records and loops himself live while his feet dance on an extensive floorboard of pedals. His partner in crime, drummer Tim Fogarty, wreaks havoc on his drum kit and electronic drum pads while also occasionally looping himself. “As each layer upon layer is set, El Ten Eleven’s songs coalesce into head nodding, cog-spinning music machines,” declared LA Weekly.
Like their instrumental contemporaries such as Explosions in the Sky, El Ten Eleven’s music is highly sought after and has been heavily used in the realms of television, film and advertising. Of significant note are two highly acclaimed PBS documentaries – “Helvetica” and “Objectified” – both of which were nominated for Independent Spirit Awards. These films, directed and produced by Gary Hustwit, were scored by Dunn and prominently feature El Ten Eleven’s music. The highly anticipated next installment, “Urbanized,” will be released in 2011 and once again feature music by El Ten Eleven and Dunn including several pieces composed exclusively for the film.
El Ten Eleven On Tour
December 31 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
January 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room
January 12 – Santa Fe, NM @ Corazon
January 13 – Vail, CO @ Samana Lounge w/ Pan Astral
January 14 – Breckenridge, CO @ Three20South w/ Pan Astral
January 15 – Boulder, CO @ Old Main Theatre w/ Pan Astral
January 17 – St. George, UT @ GoGo37
January 18 – Las Vegas, NV @ Beauty Bar
January 19 – Santa Barbara, CA @ Muddy Waters w/ Superhumanoids
January 20 – San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew w/ Superhumanoids
January 22 – Reno, NV @ Tonic Lounge w/ Superhumanoids
January 25 – Oakland, CA @ The New Parish w/ Superhumanoids
January 26 – Merced, CA @ The Partisan w/ Superhumanoids
January 27 – Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door w/ Superhumanoids
January 28 – Santa Monica, CA @ Central S.A.P.C. w/ Superhumanoids
January 29 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar w/ Superhumanoids
May 15 – Joshua Tree, CA @ Joshua Tree Music Festival