MP3: The Mohawk Lodge - "1000 Violins"

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	MP3: The Mohawk Lodge - "1000 Violins"	04.18.2013


	Frontman Ryder Havdale Explores Mortality, Redemption and Hope On New Album's Closing Track

Photo credit: Paul Goertzen The Song: On an LP where the majority of tracks breeze by at under the three minute mark, the final statment on The Mohawk Lodge's latest effort Damaged Goods feels like a meditation on where Ryder Havdale has been, a rumination on struggle and ultimately a hopeful look toward the future. "1000 Violins" is a fitting finale for the Canadian indie rocker's new album, which comes out on 5/7. Diffuser.fm premiered the track yesterday. At first what feels like a somber plea to a lover not to end a relationship, Havdale's lyrics go on to describe a man facing his own mortality and examine the downward spiral of an endless party. He describes his inspiration for the song, "It's about having lost your soul somewhere out on the road...I was at the end of my rope and this was where my head was at." The sense of culmination in the track is palpable, not only because it closes the record, but also because of Havdale's journey to compose it. He continues, "The tune itself was written almost 8 years earlier...I could just never find any lines for it...sometimes tunes take 10 minutes...this one took 8 years." Still, as dark themed as the mostly down-tempo track comes across—the chorus somewhat sardonically asserts "1000 violins ain't gonna save that song or soul,"—the presence of a children's choir suggests the sanguine possibilties of rebirth and innocence as Havdale contemplates an uncertain future. The song is a cathartic coming to terms with longing, pain and desperation, haunting, affecting and ultimately beautiful. The Mohawk Lodge will be touring through the US beginning in early May. Tour dates below. Listen to "1000 Violins" here: http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/track/1000-violins <a href="http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/track/1000-violins">1000 Violins by The Mohawk Lodge</a> Advance digital and physical (limited vinyl too!) copies of the album are available upon request. Sample the album: http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/album/damaged-goods Tour Dates: Apr 27 - Bowen Island, BC @ Bowen Island Pub Apr 29 - Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore May 1 - Olympia, WA @ Le Voyeur May 2 - Seattle, WA @ The Triple Door May 3 - Portland, OR @ Kelly's Olympian May 4 - Eugene, OR @ Black Forest May 8 - Oakland, CA @ The Nite Light May 10 - San Francisco, CA @ The Makeout Room May 11 - Los Angeles, CA @ AmplyFi May 12 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Rock Bar May 14 - Albuquerque, NM @ Blackbird Buvette May 15 - Austin, TX @ Wardenclyffe Gallery May 17 - Jacksonville, FL @ Burro Bar May 19 - Raleigh, NC @ Slim's (w/the sweets) May 20 - Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave (w/the sweets) May 21 - Richmond, VA @ Living Room May 22 - Philadelphia, PA @ JR's Bar May 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium May 24 - Manhattan, NY @ Pianos May 25 - New Brunswick, NJ @ The Court Tavern May 27 - New London, CT @ The Orphanage May 29 - Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bear's Place May 31 – Sackville, NB @ Pickles Jun 01 - Charlottetown @ Baba's w/ Wildcat Jun 02 - Halifax, NS @ Gus' Pub June 03 - Moncton, NB @ Plan B Jun 05 – Ottawa, ON @ Pressed Jun 06 - Toronto, ON @ The Dakota Jun 08 - Milwaukee, WI @ Quarter's Rock'N'Roll Palace Jun 10 - Rock Island, IL @ Daytrotter Jun 11 - St.Paul's, MN @ Big V's Jun 13 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Windsor Jun 14 – Saskatoon, SK @ MosoFest Please contact Gavin if interested in talking with The Mohawk Lodge The Background: The seeds for Damaged Goods sprouted as The Mohawk Lodge traipsed about Europe while on tour for their third album, Crimes (2010). After run-ins with insane Belgian truckers and enduring bitterly cold temperatures in December, the band coalesced into a formidable live act with an undeniable energy and chemistry. Upon returning to Canada, Ryder Havdale set out to capture the live band's spirit and drive. After regaining his own sanity in a remote cabin built by his great-grandfather, recording was done live off the floor in a sweltering Toronto heat wave. In nothing but boxer shorts, and standing in pools of their own sweat, the Euro-touring band that helped inspire and create the tunes, exorcised the album. Havdale feels they nailed it. "It's the first record I've done where I feel like we succeeded in what the idea was supposed to be. I wanted it to be terrifying and urgent and no bullshit – just in, out, see you later." The album will be released on May 7th via White Whale Records.
Streams: "1000 Violins" http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/track/1000-violins "Hard Love" http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/track/hard-love "Howling At The Moon" http://themohawklodge.bandcamp.com/track/howling-at-the-moon Bio, pictures, and streams available here: http://www.audibletreats.com/download/the-mohawk-lodge Official Site: http://whitewhale.ca/label/artist/themohawklodge/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/themohawklodge Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMohawkLodge