This post is just a little note from us to let you know we're still breathing over here and to draw some attention to something some people take for granted...
There is a show posted on the site...it's not for quite a while, but it's special for a couple reasons...first, it's a show for our longtime friend Dean's 30th birthday and more importantly, it will be the first time we have played together in quite a while.
Over a year to be more precise, and by "we" we mean The Esoteric as we should be...we hope to see you there.
<3
eso.
anthony. cory. eric. marshall. stevie.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Bottleneck
Lawrence, KS
All Ages
The Esoteric w/ friends
10.21.06: posted by dean.
AN UPDATE FROM THE ESOTERIC...
Hello friends!
We have a couple updates for you...first off we decided to take the old songs off the Myspace player to make room for the hot new jams. Don't worry though, the videos for "Ram-Faced Boy" and "Your New Burden" are still on the page for you to rawk out to! We put up our favorite song "Don't Waste Guts" on the player here too...it features extra special guest bass by Paul Malinowski of SHINER/SEASON TO RISK fame and guest vocals from Steve Tulipana of ROMAN NUMERALS/SEASON TO RISK...enjoy the hotness!
Also, we have a new email newsletter coming together and we'd like to invite you to join up for THE ESOTERIC's Somnambulists For Subversion, Chapter 23 email newsletter...
Last but certainly not least, the new record is in stores...steal it from the internet if you have to, but we'd really like you to pick up a copy...records are art too...
Hey everyone...we just posted three more new songs from our upcoming release "Subverter". You can find these songs on the bands' Purevolume.com site (links in the navigation bar above). New songs posted are:
"Don't Waste Guts" -(featuring Steve Tulipana of Roman Numerals / Season to Risk)
"Science is Sexy"
"Our Exquisite Corpse"
The new record by The Esoteric hits stores on October 17th and you can now pre-order it from Prosthetic Records, Smartpunk.com, as well as iTunes.
The Esoteric has also posted new dates from their upcoming tour this fall, on the bands website, Myspace and Purevolume sites.
You can now download "Destroy, She Said" if you go buy the new copy of Revolver Magazine. The Eso is part of the magazine's "bootleg" series this month.
So head over and LISTEN TO MORE NEW ESO SONGS NOW and be sure to catch the band out and about this fall.
Over and out,
The Eso
08.09.06: posted by dean.
THE ESOTERIC UNVEIL NEW MUSIC FROM SUBVERTER; ANNOUNCE HEADLINING TOUR!
Critically-acclaimed sonic trailblazers THE ESOTERIC have posted new music online from their forthcoming opus Subverter and have announced dates for their headlining “Through the Looking Glass” tour.
THE ESOTERIC have posted three new tracks from their highly-anticipated new album Subverter online via the band’s Myspace player. The tracks include the rocking “Destroy, She Said” as well as the titanic “Language Is a Virus / Shipyards of Foreign Cities” and the mind-bending “Clone Culture and the Cut-Up Method.” Click here to preview the new tracks: http://www.myspace.com/theesoteric.
Produced and engineered by Paul Malinowski (SHINER, OPEN HAND, THE LIFE AND TIMES) with Eric Graves, the genre-defying new album Subverter is the band’s sophomore effort for the Prosthetic Records label and is slated for an October 17, 2006 release date.
Additionally, THE ESOTERIC have announced dates for their headlining West coast tour with art-rockers MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT. Sponsored by alt-lifestyle website GodsGirls.com and dubbed the “Through the Looking Glass Tour,” the run will be the first chance for fans to see the band’s stellar live performance featuring songs from the new album. The run will span the Western US and begins August 22 in Arlington Heights (Chicago), IL and wraps up on September 12 in St. Louis, MO. Dates are as follows:
GodsGirls.com presents:
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS 2006 SUMMER TOUR
Aug 17 2006 John Barleycorn's Wichita, KS
Aug 18 2006 PJ’s Pub Manhattan, KS
Aug 19 2006 Static Bar Topeka, KS
Aug 20 2006 Replay Lounge Lawrence, KS
THE ESOTERIC with special guests MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT
Aug 22 2006 Knights Of Columbus Hall Arlington Heights, IL
Aug 23 2006 Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, MN
Aug 24 2006 All-Star Bowl Moorhead, MN
Aug 25 2006 TBA
Aug 26 2006 Venue Eight Rapid City , SD
Aug 27 2006 Marquis Theater Denver, CO
Aug 28 2006 Club Boom Va Ogden, UT
Aug 29 2006 The Fourteenth Ward Reno, NV
Aug 30 2006 TBA
Aug 31 2006 Knitting Factory Alterknit Hollywood, CA
Sep 1 2006 Jerry's Pizza Bakersfield, CA
Sep 2 2006 Eureka Vets Hall Eureka, CA
Sep 3 2006 Masonic Lodge El Cajon, CA
Sep 4 2006 Clubhouse Tempe, AZ
Sep 5 2006 Chick's El Paso, TX
Sep 6 2006 TBA
Sep 7 2006 White Rabbit San Antonio, TX
Sep 8 2006 Walter's On Washington Houston, TX
Sep 9 2006 Andy's On The Square Denton, TX
Sep 10 2006 Pink Eye Tulsa, OK
Sep 11 2006 The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
Sep 12 2006 Hi-Pointe St. Louis, MO
Sep 15 2006 Record Bar Kansas City, MO
Sep 16 2006 The Electric Snake Wichita, KS
07.16.06: posted by dean.
THE ESOTERIC FORCED TO CANCEL CURRENT TOUR
THE ESOTERIC have been forced to cancel the remaining dates on their tour this month with AT ALL COST and VERSUS THE MIRROR due to insurmountable automotive and trailer troubles. Vocalist Stevie Cruz comments:
“To the bands, promoters, venues, booking agents, and most importantly to anyone planning on attending these upcoming shows, we are very sorry and want nothing more than to rawk with you…sometimes things don't work out as planned. We tried everything possible to continue with the touring but sometimes when it rains, it pours. One after another, problems we did not foresee came to light with our van and trailer and the sad truth is we just could not make ends meet to make all the needed repairs to continue.
Instead of digging ourselves a bigger hole and creating more problems, we decided it was best to nip these problems in the bud so we can be 110% repaired and ready for our tour next month with MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT. From the bottom of our black hearts, we are very sorry and will be coming back to your area very soon.”
THE ESOTERIC begin their headlining dates with MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT on August 22 in Chicago, IL and wrap up September 12 in St. Louis, MO and will be playing selections from their forthcoming album “Subverter” for the first time on tour. “Subverter” is scheduled for an October release through Prosthetic Records.
06.14.06: posted by dean.
SUMMER TOUR PLANS...
Friends...
We love you...we've been away longer than we can stand...the new album, "Subverter" is finished and we're out on the road again VERY soon with AT ALL COST and VERSUS THE MIRROR on the East Coast, Dirty South and Midwest in July...
Then we're coming back around with MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT in August and September...stay tuned to www.the-esoteric.com for the latest dates!
New tunes soon...we promise!
Jun 23 2006 8:00P Eagle's Lodge North Wichita, KS
Jun 24 2006 8:00P The Bottleneck Lawrence, KS
Jul 04 2006 6:00P The Oriental Theatre Denver, CO
Jul 08 2006 10:00P Replay Lounge Lawrence, KS
Jul 11 2006 5:30P The Firehouse Café Selinsgrove, PA
Jul 14 2006 6:00P Harmony Grange Wilmington, DE
Jul 15 2006 1:00P Sterling Community Center Sterling, VA
Jul 20 2006 6:00P Thee Imperial Jacksonville, FL
Jul 22 2006 6:00P Ray's Downtown Blues West Palm Beach, FL
Jul 24 2006 7:00P 1982 Bar Gainesville, FL
Jul 26 2006 7:00P The Complex Memphis, TN
Jul 28 2006 7:00P The Glasnost Oklahoma City, OK
<3
eso.
06.13.06: posted by dean.
ERIC ERIC 'S BLOG FROM THE "SUBVERTER" STUDIO
ERIC:
Working with Paul turned out to be a really great opportunity for us on this one. He was really laid back and has an amazing set of ears. I was happy that he let me get really involved in recording the vocals and editing stuff. I felt like we made an awesome team. We kind of balanced out each others’ strengths. Paul has a shitload of in-studio experience at Westend and really knows how to do his thing there. I had never seen anyone mix from a console before, which was quite mind boggling to me as I’ve never really learned on a console at all.
All I knew about was bouncing inside pro tools, but Paul’s method was one in which sub-grouped mixes of each instrument were printed through the board, and separate "stems" were made of each for touch-up purposes before a full stereo mix of each tune through the board. While this seemed to me as somewhat limiting, it did create a completely unique mix for each song each time. EQ-ing and compression changes could not be instantly applied to every song. Everything is particular to each mixing session. While I would be totally slowed down by this, Paul could fly around the place dialing in shit like a madman on meth and the mix would sound great in just a few minutes.
Usually at this point Paul would tag me into the fight, I would jump on the chair and start editing the fuck out everything. Killing the space between tom strikes to eliminate crosstalk was usually first, bass, guitar and finally nudging around the vocals a bit and maybe sneaking in some fun edits if Paul wasn't in the room ;). Then Paul would take back over, adding effects and gloss to the mix, usually calling in Cory to enhance parts with synth and piano and whatnot on various sections, (which sometimes turned into the whole song). Cory ended up putting all kinds of extra shit on a bunch of the tracks and it really made things a lot sweeter. We would then listen to the track about 600 times with Paul kookily staring at us for our reaction,(I used Jedi mind shield to block his crazy eye attack) then say, "Fuck it! It’s done!"
A major highlight of my experience was recording Steve Tulipana of SEASON TO RISK fame on “Don’t Waste Guts.” Actually, that whole song is the highlight of the entire record for me. I remember our Steve (Stevie Cruz) totally freaking out in the control room of Studio B at Westend while Tulipana was recording. Once we figured out the best phrasing for his part and he started really belting it out at the end sections of his parts. I kept hearing Stevie giggling behind me and talking about how he was going to pee his pants from ecstasy. It was good times.
By the end of it all, Tulipana's voice coming in on the "choruses" had this total David Bowie sound to it that spins you completely around when you first hear it. The best part in my opinion is the end where we created kind of a "duet" between the two Steves that still gives me chills when I hear it. Just a total fucking mega-anthem of a song…by far my favorite. Big thanks to the Westend team for going the extra mile to let us pull that one off.
I love recording vocals and Paul, recognizing this, allowed me to record all but two tracks of the vocals at Run Riot studios which was a lot of fun and good experience for me. Steve and I work really well together from having done so much in the past. Steve is very open to my ideas and I’m really good at getting the best out of him in most cases. I like to kind of edit as I go when recording vocals to speed things up and we managed to blow through almost everything in a few days just by ourselves or with Justin (Run Riot’s studio manager and good friend) hanging out. We had a good time at that place recording everything except the drums. There was a shitty Chinese buffet called "HO-KI" just a block away that we all frequented…me a little more so than others. Needless to say my catch phrase, "It’s HO-KI, bitch!" got a little old by the end of the few weeks we were there.
All in all, I’m really stoked about the new sound we've added to our arsenal, and especially with Stevie’s progress as a vocalist. He really came up with really unique ways of singing with our band that maintains our "esoteric" sound. Definitely on the other side of the spectrum from the "emo-screamo" shit that everybody and their mother do nowadays…you can just hear the Kansas bellowing out it.
After getting the mastered reference disk back from Jason Livermore at the Blasting Room, I’m even more happy and proud of “Subverter.” Jason was able to take care of a lot of the small but very pertinent issues we all had with the record. We had done a little bit of back and forth between him and Paul, a few mix touch-ups and whatnot that really polished off the sound.
--Eric
06.06.06: posted by dean.
STEVIE STEVIE'S BLOG FROM THE "SUBVERTER" STUDIO
STEVIE:
I spent most of my time writing lyrics and plotting phrasing with the demos while the guys started tracking. Writing is something I enjoy doing and is necessary for my mental health. I like to have fun with it but I also want the words of the song to have purpose. I write in bits and pieces all the time, sometimes it's automatic writing and sometimes it's more linear. On this record I took the automatic bits and pieces and cut them up and stretched them as far as I was able. I used and was very much inspired by a process called the cut-up method. William S. Burroughs and Byron Gyson popularized it with films and journals that they put together in their day. Anyone interested in language or enjoys word play should check it out. Another interesting game / process is that of the exquisite corpse. Since this is a recording blog I won't go on about these processes but there is a ton of info out there to check out.
I did not make it in to the studio until Marshall finished the drums. He did those at Black Lodge and then we took those tracks to Run Riot studios to track everything else. I would stop by from time to time and be amazed at the sounds Paul and the guys were getting from the strings. Working with Paul brought out a lot of color and new tones. Spirits were high always as we were thrilled beyond belief to be recording music with the bass player of SHINER! One of our favorite bands ever. This time around everyone involved seemed to be thinking less and doing more off the cuff. Which give this batch of songs so much more attitude and urgency and overall rawness. When it came time for me to start tracking vocals, I had a wall of sound thick as a brick to work with and it was awesome.
I knew before we began writing that the vocals were going to go in some new directions. "With the Sureness…" had non-stop screaming and that’s exactly what we wanted. However THE ESO is not a band that enjoys repeating themselves. Plus these new songs musically and lyrically are about change and letting go and that’s what we did. During pre-production, Eric and I instantly started experimenting with the vocals. Once the meat and potatoes were tracked, there were even more possibilities and we pushed it as far as we could. Recording vocals with E-dog is always a hoot, pure shenanigans the whole time and having Paul's input really made the vocal sessions that much more potent and that much more hilarious. I wish we kept all the talk-back smack-talk, control room antics, wicked freestyles and all around debauchery that was recorded. Good times!
I wish I could provide more insight into the recording aspect of the vocals, but for all you recording geeks you'll have to talk to the E-dog about that, or read his blog because Eric is the slicer…he choppa da the vocs! When I’m screaming my head off he lets me know "good job buddy, that’s a keeper" or he'll murmur something unintelligible that sounds like errrrrrrmmmm, eeeeeeeehhhhhhh, naaaawww, or he'll say "that sucked you can do better". Sometimes he will sing sweet phrases into my headphones and expect me to imitate them. I'm no Emotron, but I try in that Killing Joke Argh-core kinda way. Ha! We record everything dry and I try to give the best performance I can. If a take feels natural and sounds cool we go with it and if we have to think about it too much we scrap it and move on. After we get through a song or a section we listen to it and treat the vocals, move stuff around, and see what we got. A fun process all in all but it can be taxing but sometimes I get the best takes when I’m beat and worn out. Like Jack Black says "record . . . always record".
The last vocals I laid down were on June 6th 2006. Yup that’s right, sweet 666! And just to give the date even more awesomeness, guess who came in that day and laid down some serious guest vocal. MR. STEVE "ACE OF MOTHERFUCKING SPACE" TULIPANA! Talk about cream jeans, I about pissed myself when he dropped the ultimate on a couple of hooks in the song "Don't Waste Guts". Some of you might be wondering “who is this Steve Tulipana?” and I say you better axe somebody! One of my favorite vocalists / lyricists / front-men…he inspired me a great deal when he fronted the one and only SEASON TO RISK and continues to do so in his new band ROMAN NUMERALS. There are so many things we did on this record that we have never done before and "Don't Waste Guts" takes the cake as far as THE ESO treading new territory.
The rest of the time we spent mixing and layering the songs with piano, synthesizer, and other electronic elements and effects. Cory and Eric and Paul really went all out in that department. In some parts of the songs you could take all the vocals, drums, and guitars out and just leave the atmospheric tracks and it would sound like Brian Eno or Mum or something like that. On one of the last days of mixing Eric was working in another room for a chunk of the day and made the sickest intro to "Shipyards of Foreign Cities." He used "Shipyards" as source material and chopped and skrewed that in his own Emotron meets Venetian Snares way and bam in no time we had one of the most interesting pieces on "Subverter". During this time I took some photos and just marinated with all the amazing sounds that were popping out of the speaker. I'm really proud to be in a band with these dudes. I feel like we made something that is honest and will always rawk. I can't wait to get out on the road and start playing these songs every night.
--Stevie
05.23.06: posted by dean.
ANTHONY'S BLOG FROM THE "SUBVERTER" STUDIO
ANTHONY:
The first day of recording for me was spent just getting tones and deciding what amps we wanted to use. We decided on using my Mesa 400+ through an Ampeg 8x10 cabinet and an Orange guitar head through an Orange 4x12 guitar cabinet. We then blended a bass DI for our clean tones.
We started tracking with my ESP Viper, and it sounded great but hadn’t been intunated properly in quite a while, so we tried Paul’s Fender P Bass. It stayed in tune better but wasn’t as comfortable for me to play. We tracked two songs with the P Bass and then tried a hollow-body Epiphone Jack Cassidy Signature series bass. The Cassidy not only stayed in tune better but was a lot more comfortable than the P Bass, so we finished tracking the record using the Jack Cassidy.
This record was the first time I really had time to spend experimenting with different pedals and processors to create different tones. We made an effort to change the bass tone from song to song to match each song’s needs, which was also a first. I think that was the best thing for me about working with Paul…being a bass player himself, he actually took the time to try new things to get a different sound for each song. He would stop in the middle of a track and change out pedals or re-EQ the amps and we’d start again if it wasn’t the right sound for the song. It was a little frustrating at first, but really worth it in the end. It was also nice to have another bassist around to bounce around ideas with.
All in all, this was the most interesting and stress-free recording environment yet. The record is going to be amazing…it’s time for the vocals now…
--Anthony
05.18.06: posted by dean.
CORY'S BLOG FROM THE "SUBVERTER" STUDIO
CORY:
After completing the drum tracks I returned to my house to meditate on the probability that the North American bipedal "skunk ape" does in fact exist in Florida as we speak. These strong emotional ties I have with the Bigfoot phenomenon persuaded me to get the record done quickly so I could study more about this elusive creature on my off time. It also inspired me to go for a more naturally gainy and gritty guitar sound. And again due to ruggedness of this creature I felt more comfortable leaving a few blemishes here and there on my tracks, I mean we all know that Bigfoot’s not perfect and they also smell of shit, yet I love him just the same.
We did all of the guitar tracks in Kansas City about 35 minutes from my house so it left me a little time in the car to stew about my master plan of capturing the skunk ape and being the first man to ever "bring home the bacon" so to speak to the scientific assholes that doubt his very existence. Having to take so many different back door routes to make my dream of capture a reality, I decided to use many different guitars to make this record, some how feeling a conjunction between multiple avenues to achieve what I want. I did the same with amps.
I was done tracking all of my parts in about three days and then it was Eric’s turn to lay down some hot licks. Leaving me a couple of weeks of not having to come to the studio at all and I could start stockpiling money and guns for my conquest of the Florida everglades.
I did not have to return to the studio until mixing and when I got there me and Paul ended up spending a lot of time laying down cool keyboard stuff to beef the record up sonically and all around make it more like Bigfoot. The mixing took a little longer than anticipated but Paul did a great job. And now I’m off on my expedition with a team I have assembled of key individuals with extra special skills to capture the skunk ape and die a happy man.
I will of course be returning to jam the songs out live on tour in July and it should be a lot of fun. Legalize it, I’m out...
--Cory
05.11.06: posted by dean.
MARSHALL'S BLOG FROM THE "SUBVERTER" STUDIO
MARSHALL:
After an overnight haul of no sleep, due to a show with brown sound stalwarts Torche, and dealing with trailer issues resulting in last minute preparations to change heads and tune drums, I finally arrived at Black Lodge exhausted and eager to begin tracking our new songs. With them being so fresh and new, there were a couple that I had left open to interpretation once I knew we could focus and concentrate on them. The rest I felt comfortable enough with after having the chance to play them a few times live.
Meeting Paul that morning was also a new experience in an already comfortable and familiar environment at Black Lodge, having recorded drum tracks for "…Sleepwalking" there. This time it gave a new perspective on things as well as getting acquainted with different techniques that I/we had not done before. So it was a bit exciting to do things differently.
We spent most of the day executing the usual first day business of setting up the kit and then finding suitable mic placements around the room and kit. I will go back to the video to see what mics were used. For Paul, this was a first working in this room, the larger A room at the Lodge. So it was going to take a short while longer to get things situated where he was comfortable and his ears were attuned to the room's characteristics. Miraculously, once things were set, I nailed three tracks in a row by the end of the day. A worthy accomplishment for the first day's work.
Coming in on day two having gotten through those three songs I felt pretty confident we were possibly going to get most of the tracks finished be the end of day. Quite the contrary occurred. After getting through the first track, it was decided by Paul that he was unhappy with the drum sounds we had spent all of the previous day fine-tuning. Not saying that the tracks we had already laid were bad, but that he felt we could do better by getting an entire other kit for use in the rest of the sessions. I have to admit, I was a bit taken aback by this, feeling as though we were wasting valuable time that we had gained. I was closely attached to my kit, not saying I wasn't open to experimentation, because I feel that when in the studio setting it is the best time to try new things that you haven't before. My kit is a custom built Pearl Masterworks from 2001 that was the showcase display kit at NAMM that year, and is an African mahogany and bird's eye maple composite ply mix. It has superb resonant tone qualities and exceptional depth, especially in the studio setting, so I tried not to take offense to the suggestion of using a different kit. Which was a good thing.
After searching through the piles of stored kits in the attic, we came across a 24" maple shell C&C Custom kick drum that belonged to Black Lodge owner and former Get Up Kids drummer Ryan Pope. Compared to my 22" kick, it did possess great projection and boom in the room. We also found another 24" to place in front of it without the heads on it. We also removed the front head off of the kick to add to the depth for miking purposes. This proved to be a huge improvement and worthwhile change.
We also put to use a very heavy stainless steel 81/2"x14" snare drum built by a renowned drum craftsman by the name of Greg Keplinger. This fucker cracked and trembled earballs. We also retained my 13" and 16" toms, while adding another 13" C&C Custom maple rack tom tuned slightly lower than mine. By the end of this new arrangement and new mic placement, the sounds were way more profound than before and turned out to be a good decision. Nice ear, Paul.
The only drawback to doing all of this was facing the end of the day nearing soon, and not wanting to come in on day three without finishing any tracks. So, I managed to get one done that was the newest of them all and we spent the rest of the day trying different arrangements until I was satisfied.
Walking into day three, I felt like I had a bit of catching up to do. I had gone from feeling as though the four days booked for tracking were going to be more than enough to questioning if perhaps we would even finish now by the end of Thursday. I was very content with the new drum sounds, as well as being very comfortable with the new drum setup I was playing. I was also becoming accustomed to Paul's more laid back style of engineering compared to my previous experience with Mr. Ed Rose, who if anyone is not familiar with his demeanor or ethic, can be very foreboding and somewhat intimidating at times, IF you have not already established a trustworthy working relationship with him as I had. This made working with Paul a bit easier, but it also made me have to be on my own toes a bit more, rely on my own ear for tightness in the "metal" sections, and watch for things that I was comfortable with Ed editing on the fly if a millisecond off. In this new scenario, Paul is a "rock" guy. We desired this type of an ear, for this record is way more "rock" than "…Sleepwalking", and he being a former member of one of our favorite bands, Shiner, we knew he could bring a fresh perspective to our sound and help develop the direction we were aiming for. While I do track to a click track, things are more acceptable if off by that millisecond and considered more real and organic and human than being too precise, cold, and machinelike, which our last record was at times. This does open up a lot of new possibilities for this record, as it is a further evolution of The Esoteric and I feel displays us coming into our own, having found and discovered our own sound, what we do well, what we do not do so well, and doing what is natural. And all of this combined with the amount of time we had to write this record after spending the last year on the road non stop, these songs are way more focused, direct, to the point, no clutter or bullshit. It is us, The Esoteric.
Once we started moving along, the tracks continued being laid down at an impressive rate. By the end of Wednesday, I had tracked all of the songs. Once again, Thursday became unnecessary, and any overdubs or tightening we would do towards the end of tracking everyone else before final mixing. Now, it is everyone else's turn. Have fun.
--Marshall
05.10.06: posted by dean.
AN UPDATE ON "SUBVERTER" FROM STEVIE:
Greetings from the land of subversion and sound!
Marshall finished his drum tracks at Black Lodge and they sound HUGE! We took those to Run Riot studios in Shawnee, KS and have been tracking everything else for the last few weeks and everything is coming together...we've been having a great time recording with Paul Malinowski. The sounds he has been getting are amazing and add so much to these songs. We feel like we are making the record we want to make and this time everything is more potent than ever. Each song stands on its own and there is much more variation and intent in all departments. The songs have more of a sense of purpose than anything we've done before.
Our friends at Empty Design and Kristen Ferrell will be handling the artwork this time around and we are very excited about this. Also one of our favorite vocalist and lyricist of all time, Steve Tulipana of SEASON TO RISK / ROMAN NUMERALS is adding his touch to a song on the new record.
Various members of the band will be sharing their recording experience in blog form on our website through out the next month so check it out right here!
--Stevie
04.26.06: posted by dean.
THE ESOTERIC BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM;
REVEAL ALBUM TITLE!
Hello friends! We though we'd share this wonderful news with you...we're really excited about the new record and couldn't wait to share...here's the "official" news blurb from the press release:
<3
eso.
THE ESOTERIC BEGIN WORK ON NEW ALBUM;
REVEAL ALBUM TITLE!
Lawrence, KS innovators THE ESOTERIC have begun work on their sophomore release for Prosthetic Records, entitled Subverter.
The cutting-edge outfit begins recording May 8th at Black Lodge Recording in Eudora, KS as well as in an undisclosed location in Kansas City with Producer / Engineer Paul Malinowski (SHINER, OPEN HAND, SEASON TO RISK, etc.). The follow up to last years relentless touring schedule and critically-acclaimed debut With the Sureness of Sleepwalking, Subverter will be mixed at KCMO's West End Recording Studios and is slated for a tentative fall 2006 release date through Prosthetic Records.
Vocalist Steve Cruz comments, "Subverter is the next chapter for The Esoteric. It will take the listener through a crash course of everything we have undergone in the last year...a testament to our trials and tribulations as a band and as individuals. We are making this record to challenge the beliefs and ideas of ourselves and of the listener, and to spite the general lack of integrity that's been infecting these so called scenes."
Some advance song titles include "Science Is Sexy", "Our Exquisite Corpse", "Clone Culture and the Cut-Up Method", "Destroy, She Said", "Nothing Remains the Same", "We Will Not Be Convinced That Now Is Not Our Time", "Don't Waste Guts", and "You Are the Execution".
For the latest news and tour information, please visit the bands official website:
www.THE-ESOTERIC.com, as well as www.myspace.com/THEESOTERIC and www.PROSTHETICRECORDS.com.
WORD ON THE STREET:
"gnarly, hungry and virtually unaffected by anything thats moving units in metalcore today. Which is a beautiful thing if youre of the mind that a single well-placed cymbal accent, guitar squeal or off-time breakdown can pack more power that 100 perfectly-executed At The Gates riffs." - ALTERNATIVE PRESS
"challenging the boundaries of hardcore." - REVOLVER
"Its tricky work, integrating genuine feeling, dignified angst and melodic riffs into heavy music. Few pull it off with the musical prowess and sincerity that THE ESOTERIC provea head above the rest of the crowd" - OUTBURN
"a seamless progression of melodic guitar lines, remorseless vocals and kinetic percussion patternsamazing to behold" - DECIBEL
"An intriguing mix of vein-busting hardcore and symphonic wall-of-noise orchestration that slithers out of any pigeonhole you try to put it in" - METAL MANIACS
03.26.06: posted by dean.
YOUR NEW BURDEN Video now available!
Hello friends, we're happy to announce that the new video for "YOUR NEW BURDEN" is available online!
The video was also added to both MTV2 and FUSE, so get on the horn and let 'em know you want to see it on TV!
Hey kiddos, we've been on the road for 5 weeks now and haven't been much on the 'net but thought maybe we should say hello.
Shows have been AMAZING, thanks so much to everyone who has come out so far, SCARLET, CALICO SYSTEM and FIGHT PARIS are all totally cool and we're having a killer time, if not a bit rocky.
Thus far, we blew out a tire en route to the first show, almost died from hypothermia after putting snow chains on in a blizzard to cross Donner pass at Lake Tahoe, blew out wheel bearings on our trailer and had to replace the axle of the trailer ourselves on the side of the Grapevine in CA, our fearless leader Dean made a trip to the ER in LA and blew out trailer tires today on our way to Baton Rouge. Ha!
But seriously, it's SO worthwhile to rock for you guys...and Florida - you're next!
The video for "Your New Burden" got accepted to MTV2 and we're just waiting for the premiere date, so get on the horn and request that action!
Also, our new merch store is active, so cruise on over and check out some sweet threads!
I think that's about it for the quickie update. Love you all, see you soon!
<3
eso.
01.05.06: posted by dean.
Hello everyone!
We've been talking about it the last few weeks so you might know that THE ESOTERIC is up for the TASTE OF CHAOS date at Hale Arena in Kansas City, KS on 3/23/06 through the Myspace contest. What you might NOT know is that TODAY, JANUARY 6th is your last chance to vote!!
We appreciate the MASSIVE support so far...so if you haven't voted yet...NOW'S THE TIME!!
Voting is simple, all you have to to is go to www.myspace.com/tasteofchaos and click the link for KANSAS CITY, KS - 3/23/06 - HALE ARENA to vote for us!
THANK-YOU SO VERY MUCH!! YOU GUYS ARE GREAT!!
<3
eso.
12.31.05: posted by dean.
Hey peeps,
We've just updated the tour dates for the SCARLET, FIGHT PARIS, CALICO SYSTEM shows coming in January and February! Check the 'Space or our website for the latest!
Also, we just posted a new mix of Your New Burden on the Myspace player...come on over and check it out!
Happy New Year!
<3
eso.
1/13 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Peppermint Beach Club
1/14 - Fredericksburg, VA @ KC's
1/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
1/16 - Montclair, NJ @ Bloomfield Ave Cafe
1/17 - Centereach (Long Island), NY @ Centereach VFW
1/18 - Endicott, NY @ Downtown Quarterback
1/19 - Rochester, NY @ Steel Music Hall
1/20 - Fulton (Syracuse), NY @ Fulton VFW
1/21 - Southgate (Detroit), MI @ The Modern Exchange
1/22 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Ten Bells Nightclub
1/23 - Chicago Heights, IL @ The Music Box
1/24 - Omaha, NE @ The Rock
1/25 - Kansas City, MO @ El Torreon
1/26 - Denver, CO @ Rock Island
1/27 - Ogden, UT @ Club Boom Va
1/28 - Boise, ID @ The Venue
1/29 - Reno, NV @ VFW Hall
1/30 - Sacramento, CA @ The Boardwalk
1/31 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
2/01 - Bakersfield, CA @ Jerrys Pizza
2/02 - Hollywood, CA @ Whisky a GoGo
2/03 - Lancaster, CA @ Cedar Centre
2/04 - Corona, CA @ Showcase Theatre
2/05 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Clubhouse
2/06 - Phoenix, AZ @ Phix Gallery
2/07 - El Paso, TX @ House of Rock N Roll
2/09 - Corpus Christi, TX @ The Underground
2/10 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
2/11 - Houston, TX @ Java Jazz
2/12 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The Darkroom
2/13 - Panama City Beach, FL @ The Showcase
2/14 - Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth
2/15 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Ray's Downtown Blues
2/16 - Clearwater, FL @ 688 Skatepark
2/17 - Jacksonville, FL @ Thee Imperial
2/18 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
2/19 - Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G
2/20 - Tupelo, MS @ Rockwell Center
2/21 - Memphis, TN @ The Complex
2/22 - Nashville, TN @ The End
2/23 - London, KY @ Levi Jackson Clubhouse
2/24 - Carmel (Indianapolis), IN @ Carmel Arts Center
2/25 - Bloomington, IL @ New Lafayette Club
2/26 - St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl (THE ESOTERIC only w/RIDDLE OF STEEL)
12.30.05: posted by dean.
Hey everyone!
Just wanted to let you know that a brand-spankin' new mix of "Your New Burden" is available on our Myspace player NOW! The reworking comes courtesy of Ed Rose (Get Up Kids, Coalesce, Motion City Soundtrack) at Black Lodge Recording. It's sharper, richer and a little fancier...and it's all for the new video coming in January to MTV2 and FUSE!! Check it out, we think you'll like it!
Don't forget, we're up for TASTE OF CHAOS in Kansas City at Hale Arena on 3/23/06, so click the banner below and vote for us.
Thanks so much, you're the best!
<3
eso.
12.21.05: posted by dean.
Hello friends!
As you might know, THE ESOTERIC is up for the TASTE OF CHAOS date at Hale Arena in Kansas City, KS on 3/23/06 through the Myspace contest!!
We would really love your help, so we made a banner for the contest to post on your site!
Add this banner to your page! Just copy and paste the code below...
Hello everyone, huge news! THE ESOTERIC will be hitting the road once again for a MAJOR US trek (that includes YOU California, know you've been waiting!).
SCARLET, CALICO SYSTEM and FIGHT PARIS are our tourmates for this one and the tour will run from January 13 in Virginia Beach through February 25 in Indianapolis, IN.
See you there!
1/13 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Peppermint Beach Club
1/14 - Fredericksburg, VA @ KC's
1/15 - Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
1/16 - Montclair, NJ @ Bloomfield Ave Cafe
1/17 - Centereach (Long Island), NY @ Centereach VFW
1/18 - Endicott, NY @ Downtown Quarterback
1/19 - Rochester, NY @ Steel Music Hall
1/20 - Fulton (Syracuse), NY @ Fulton VFW
1/21 - Southgate (Detroit), MI @ The Modern Exchange
1/22 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Ten Bells Nightclub
1/23 - Chicago Heights, IL @ The Music Box
1/24 - Omaha, NE @ The Rock
1/25 - Kansas City, MO @ El Torreon
1/26 - Denver, CO @ Rock Island
1/27 - Ogden, UT @ Club Boom Va
1/28 - Boise, ID @ The Venue
1/29 - Reno, NV @ VFW Hall
1/30 - Sacramento, CA @ The Boardwalk
1/31 - San Francisco, CA @ The Pound
2/01 - Bakersfield, CA @ Jerrys Pizza
2/02 - Hollywood, CA @ Whisky a GoGo
2/03 - Lancaster, CA @ Cedar Centre
2/04 - Corona, CA @ Showcase Theatre
2/05 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Clubhouse
2/06 - Phoenix, AZ @ Phix Gallery
2/07 - El Paso, TX @ House of Rock N Roll
2/09 - Corpus Christi, TX @ The Underground
2/10 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
2/11 - Houston, TX @ Java Jazz
2/12 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The Darkroom
2/13 - Panama City Beach, FL @ The Showcase
2/14 - Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth
2/15 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Ray's Downtown Blues
2/16 - Clearwater, FL @ 688 Skatepark
2/17 - Jacksonville, FL @ Thee Imperial
2/18 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
2/19 - Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G
2/20 - Tupelo, MS @ Rockwell Center
2/21 - Memphis, TN @ The Complex
2/22 - Nashville, TN @ The End
2/23 - London, KY @ Levi Jackson Clubhouse
2/24 - Carmel (Indianapolis), IN @ Carmel Arts Center
2/25 - Bloomington, IL @ New Lafayette Club
2/26 - St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl (THE ESOTERIC only w/RIDDLE OF STEEL)
12.08.05: posted by dean
Hello friends!
Recently, COACHELLA FESTIVAL opened a voting blog on MYSPACE for bands to perform at the 2006 festival and we're asking all our people to vote for us!! All you have to do is add COACHELLA FESTIVAL as a friend, then comment in the voting blog with our name and Myspace url:
Please repost this to get the word out! Feel free to get creative, too!!
THANKS A TON, WE <3 YOU!!
eso.
12.06.05: posted by bill, website admin
Welcome to THE ESOTERIC's new website! Stop in, have a look around. Many thanks to Dean of Machine Management and Andy Cummings of Design Politik for making this website happen.
Enjoy!
09.29.05: posted by dean.
HOME from WARPED TOUR and FALL TOUR PLANS
Hello friends! After a couple weeks of much-needed time at home, we're back at it with a TON of killer tours lined up for you in the fall with EVERY TIME I DIE and HIGH ON FIRE as well as FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES and BOYSETSFIRE!
Be sure to come out and visit, can't wait to see you all again!
<3
eso.
THE ESOTERIC
W/ Every Time I Die, High on Fire, The Red Chord
9/27 Portland, OR - Meow Meow
9/28 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
9/29 Boise, ID - The Venue w/ The Red Chord only
9/30 Salt Lake City, UT - Lo-Fi Cafe
10/01 Denver, CO - Cervantes
10/02 Lawrence, KS - Granada
10/03 Minneapolis, MN - The Ascot Room
10/04Chicago, IL - House of Blues
10/05 Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
10/06 Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
10/07 Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall
10/09 Worcester, MA - Palladium (as part of Rock and Shock festival)
THE ESOTERIC
w/ FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES, Boy Sets Fire, Biology
11/02 West Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
11/03 Tampa, FL – Masquerade
11/04 Ft. Lauderdale – Culture Room
11/05 Lake Buena Vista – House of Blues
11/07 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
11/08 Richmond, VA – Alley Katz
11/09 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
11/10 Baltimore, MD – Sonar Lounge
11/11 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
11/12 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
11/13 Lancaster, PA - Chameleon
06.13.05: posted by dean.
THE DIRTY BLACK SUMMER BEGINS TONIGHT!
THE ESOTERIC begins the Dirty Black Summer tour tonight with labelmates HIMSA and support from The Agony Scene and additional support from Scars of Tomorrow and Full Blown Chaos on selected dates!
Come out and hang with us!
DIRTY BLACK SUMMER TOUR 2005
6/13 Sacramento, CA - Boardwalk
6/14 San Francisco, CA - The Pound
6/15 Pomona, CA - The Glasshouse
6/16 Hollywood, CA - Whiskey
6/17 San Diego, CA - Epicentre
6/18 Tucson, AZ - Skrappys
6/19 Phoenix, AZ - Brickhouse
6/20 Las Vegas, NV - Roadhouse Casino
6/21 OFF
6/22 El Paso, TX - T Lounge
6/23 Dallas, TX - Galaxy Club
6/24 OFF
6/25 Molene, IL - Pearl Room
6/26 St. Louis, MO - Creepy Crawl
6/27 OFF
6/28 Milwaukee, WI - Rave Bar
6/29 OFF
6/30 Grand Rapids, MI - Ten Bells
7/01 Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Small
7/02 Toledo, OH - Headliners 1-31H
7/03 Cleveland, OH - Agora Front Room
7/04 OFF
7/05 Lancaster, PA - The Chameleon
7/06 Farmingdale, NY - Downtown
7/07 New York, NY - CBGB
7/08 Albany, NY - Saratoga Winners
7/09 Springfield, VA - Jaxx
7/10 Virginia Beach, VA - Club Live
7/11 Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
7/12 Jacksonville, FL - Jackrabbits
7/13 Tampa, FL - State Theater
7/14 Orlando, FL - Back Booth
7/15 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
7/16 Nashville, TN - Exit/In
7/17 Springfield, MO - Rockwell
7/18 Kansas City, MO - El Torreon
7/19 Denver, CO - Rock Island
7/20 Salt Lake City, UT - Lo-Fi Cafe
7/21 Boise, ID - Impart Store
7/22 Seattle, WA - El Corazon
06.01.05: posted by dean
THE ESOTERIC added to WARPED TOUR, video debuts on FUSE!
THE ESOTERIC will be joining the Vans WARPED TOUR this summer for the East Coast dates running from Florida to New York. Many thanks to our friends at Hooligan Skate for making this possible. Check out our custom skate deck available from Hooligan online.
THE ESOTERIC's video for "Ram-Faced Boy" will premiere on Fuse's Metal Asylum on June 6th. You can watch it online here.
THE ESOTERIC's new record, With The Sureness of Sleepwalking, is in stores now!
VANS WARPED TOUR 2005 on the East Coast Independent Stage
8/04 Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Fairgrounds
8/05 Tampa, FL - Vinoy Park
8/06 Pompano Beach, FL - Pompano Beach Amphitheatre Lot
8/07 Orlando, FL - Tinker Field
8/08 Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
8/09 Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot
8/10 Washington, D.C. - Nissan Pavilion Lot
8/11 Scranton, PA - Montage Mountain
8/12 Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center
8/13 New York City, NY - Randall's Island
8/14 Englishtown, NJ - Old Bridge Township Raceway
Spread the love around and send it to your friends!
<3
eso.
04.15.05: posted by dean
Ram-Faced Boy Video Finished!
THE ESOTERIC have completed work on the video for "Ram-faced Boy" taken from the upcoming CD With The Sureness Of Sleepwalking.
The video was directed by Matt Bass (Time In Malta, Rasputina) for Factory Features and was shot last month outside of Los Angeles, CA. Look for debuts on MTV2 and Fuse soon.
The band are currently on the road and will be making a stop at this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Fest as well as tours with Lovehatehero and Himsa in the coming months.
With The Sureness Of Sleepwalking is in stores this Tuesday, April 19th.
04.14.05: posted by dean
THE ESOTERIC - new album in stores THIS TUESDAY!!
Hello friends! ESO here from the road, we just wanted to take a second to remind everyone that our new full-length record "With the Sureness of Sleepwalking" will be IN STORES THIS TUESDAY (APRIL 19)!
For you online-savvy folks, you can purchase the CD online NOW at Prostheticrecords.com! All pre-orders come with a FREE poster!
Please take a second to check out the newly revamped Myspace.com site and preview 4 tracks from the new album!
While you're there, check out the upcoming shows...we're coming to a town near you...with new dates to be announced for May with Lovehatehero., Secret Lives and Still Life Projector. Don't forget the full US tour coming with HIMSA in June/July!!
See you soon,
<3
ESO
04.02.05: posted by dean
New CD available NOW for pre-orders!!
Hey everyone, just a quick note from the road to let you know that our new CD With the Sureness of Sleepwalking is available for pre-ordering NOW at prostheticrecords.com!
All pre-orders come with a FREE full-color poster!!
With the Sureness of Sleepwalking is IN STORES ON APRIL 19!
This morning around 3 AM, THE ESOTERIC's home, studio and practice space went up in flames and burned to the ground, leaving three members of the band homeless without food or clothes and destroying all of the band's equipment, merchandise, cash box and recording gear.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the fire. So far the cause of the blaze is unknown although Lawrence Fire Department Investigators suspect faulty electrical wiring.
As of now, THE ESOTERIC plan on continuing with all tour plans for March, April and May.
If you would like to make a donation to the band, they are accepting donations via PayPal at info@the-esoteric.com
or via the button below: Cash donations are also being taken for THE ESOTERIC at Love Garden Sounds record store in Downtown Lawrence, KS at the following address:
Love Garden Sounds
936 1/2 Mass St. (upstairs)
Lawrence, KS 66044
785.843.1551
"Thank-you very much for your assistance, support and love. We're happy to be alive."
<3
eso.
02.09.05: posted by dean
THE ESOTERIC - NEW advance music posted!
Hey friends, just wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know that we have posted an advance track from our forthcoming new album!
The track is called "Ram-Faced Boy" and is available for listening on our Myspace.com site and availalble for download exclusively at the Prosthetic Records website!
Don't forget! The new album is titled "With the Sureness of Sleepwalking" and is IN STORES April 19!
Look for us to tour the West coast with NODES OF RANVIER March 10-26 and to head out to the South and East with REMEBERING NEVER, the ACACIA STRAIN and SINCE THE FLOOD for all of April leading up to our appearance at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on Saturday, April 23 at the Palladium in Worcester, MA.
Rock out everyone...
<3
eso.
01.21.05: posted by dean
TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT
Alright West Coasters, we're headed your way. We just confirmed a 2 week West Coast tour with our friends NODES OF RANVIER!
Tour starts March 10 in Kansas City and ends March 26 in Oklahoma City.
More details to follow!
01.20.05: posted by dean
THE ESOTERIC - ALTERNATIVE PRESS / 100 Bands You Need to Know In 2005
Taken from the ALTERNATIVE PRESS Myspace page:
ISSUE PREVIEW: 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2005
Our annual 100 Bands You Need To Know issue is just days away -- it comes out Feb. 3, to be exact -- and it's a doozy. Now, you've probably already guessed that the cover is a split between Hawthorne Heights and Matchbook Romance, but even if you don't like either of those bands (and if that's the case, we need to have a talk with you), there are 98 others inside just waiting for you to fall in love with them. Bands like Anberlin, Streetlight Manifesto, mewithoutYou, The Futureheads, Underoath, Death From Above 1979, As I Lay Dying, Spitalfield, Dresden Dolls, Punchline,, Gratitude, Halifax, Silverstein, Circle Takes The Square, The Arcade Fire, Hellogoodbye, The Honorary Title, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, The Academy Is..., Scatter The Ashes, Emanuel, Cartel, Melee, Torche, Jesu, Brazil, The Esoteric... Jeez, we give away any more, and SPIN's going to pull that lame "62 Bands" issue off shelves to pretend they thought of this first!
Also in this issue, we sit down with The Mars Volta and Paint It Black to talk about their new records, both of which completely rule; talk to Unwritten Law about life, death and the last time punk "broke"; gab about movies with Joshua Jackson and Vanessa Ferlito; go in the studio with Fall Out Boy, Norma Jean and more; and unearth 10 Essential Early Emo Records we don't even think the people who made them remember anymore.
OK, gang, that's all we can give away without charging you $3.99, so keep your pants on till Feb. 3, and thanks for being a part of this MySpace monster we're building!
01.11.05: posted by dean
THE ALBUM IS FINISHED!
Hey everyone, just wanted to hit you with a quick note to let you know that we are officially finished recording our debut for Prosthetic Records.
With the Sureness of Sleepwalking is due out April 19! Check out the cover art to your left, courtesty of Andy Cummings.
KILLER
10.07.04: posted by dean
THE ESOTERIC SIGN WITH PROSTHETIC RECORDS; BAND IN STUDIO RECORDING NEW ALBUM
Innovative Lawrence, KS outfit THE ESOTERIC have signed a worldwide recording deal with Los Angeles-based Prosthetic Records. The prescient quintet's full-length record With the Sureness of Sleepwalking is set for a February 2005 release.
THE ESOTERIC feature COALESCE and REGGIE AND THE FULL EFFECT guitarist Cory White as well as former TODAY IS THE DAY drummer Marshall Kilpatric and have come to be known for their intrepid, genre-bending songwriting and arresting live performances.
Earlier this week, the band (rounded out by bassist Anthony Diale, guitarist Eric Graves and vocalist Steve Cruz) entered Black Lodge studios in Eudora, KS with veteran producer/engineer Ed Rose (COALESCE, ULTIMATE FAKEBOOK, the GET UP KIDS) to commence recording, which will be completed by November 5.
With the Sureness of Sleepwalking is slated for a 2005 street date through Prosthetic Records. Some reported track titles include: "Your New Burden", "A Fool's Errand", "Until the Grave Gives Up the Ghost", "Ram-Faced Boy", "This Is Dedicated to the Prettiest One" and "No Jazz Before the Rumble".
"Comparisons to anything traditional would be inane" -LAMBGOAT
"The band's ear-splitting attack is as tuneful as it is abrasive, mixing odd time signatures and calculated rhythm blasts into thoughtfully composed songs." -LAWRENCE WEEKLY
"An atom bomb that will incinerate all genre boundaries" -DIGITAL METAL
