News: Dead Kennedys Singer Joins Brookyln Fuzz-Rockers Lightouts; Band To Play KEXP Live Session 6/20

Gowanus-Based Band Announce New Vocalist From Legendary Punk Band; Public Debut Today On Seattle’s Iconic Station

06.20.2014

Critical Praise for Lightouts:

Named one of SPIN’s 2012 CMJ “Next Big Things” & 2013 SXSW “Hottest Acts”

“Lightouts …are enthusiastic singles makers, which suits the snappy, punk-fortified jangle-pop that they specialize in.” – Esquire

“…one of the better white guys-with-guitars songs I’ve heard in a while.” – Death and Taxes

“Melding Sonic Youth’s mangled guitars and monotonic vocal sensibilities with a taut and measured rhythm section, these Brooklynites manage to tap into an ever-expanding history of blown-out guitar rock and laconic vocals without feeling like a rehashing of rock’n’roll’s recent past.” – Colin Joyce, SPIN

10/10 star review: “The great thing about Want is how different it sounds from everything and not in a reactionary sort of way… They aren’t trying to sound original or better than the rest of the bands coming out of Brooklyn, they just are. Essentially Want is the kind of album that rock music was invented for.” – Tim Baker, SYFFAL

“Lightouts have the presence and experience to be something HUGE.” – LX-GOODS

The News:

Gowanus, Brooklyn indie rockers Lightouts have been a bit quiet since the release of their latest Esquire and Death and Taxes debuted singles earlier in 2014. Turns out it’s been for good reason- long-time vocalist Greg Nelson is no longer with the band and has been replaced by Skip Greer. Greer comes with an impressive pedigree; he was a founder of famed Berkeley pop-punk band The Wynona Riders and is now the singer for agit-punk legends The Dead Kennedys. He will split vocal duties between Lightouts and DK going forward. Skip had this to say about being in both bands: “I’ve always held a love for both hardcore punk and late 80s modern rock, so being able to work with Lightouts allows me to explore the new wave and indie rock side of things.”

The public debut of the new lineup will be an auspicious one; Lightouts has been selected to play a live session on iconic Seattle alternative station b. The performance can be heard live online at 12 noon EST / 9AM PST on Friday, June 20th at KEXP.org. The band will play four songs, including a brand new single called “More Than Ever” that was written with the new lineup. DJ John Richards will interview the band as well.

Tune into KEXP here.

Listen to the Disappear / My My single: https://soundcloud.com/lightouts/sets/disappear-my-my-single

Buy Lightouts’ double single on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/disappear-my-my-single/id765793142

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Please contact Michelle if interested in talking with Lightouts.

Lightouts Background:

Lightouts founder Gavin Rhodes started with a simple question: “Robert Smith/Emily Haines, where are you?” But this appeal to fans of The Cure and Metric didn’t appear on Craigslist or in The Village Voice. The flyer was posted near the less-than-picturesque Gowanus Canal. The group exhibit a rare musical and stylistic cohesion: structured bass lines, waves of fuzzed out guitars and vaporous vocals put a new spin on the moody post-punk aesthetic of bands like Joy Division and Smashing Pumpkins circa Siamese Dream. In the past two years, the Gowanus band has released a series of singles that featured both an A-side and two B-sides, which allowed the band to offer up songs complemented by experimentation and deep-cut covers. The band’s debut album, Want, was released in 2013.