Neutral Uke Hotel, Golden Bloom, and Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library Kick Off Tour April 20

March 28, 2011 - PRLog -- Neutral Uke Hotel media page: http://glgpub.com/roster/neutral-uke-hotel
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Neutral Uke Hotel, Golden Bloom, and Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library Kick Off Tour In Boston April 20, 2011


BOSTON (Mar. 24, 2011)—Neutral Uke Hotel, who took the world by storm last summer with their live performances of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea are about to embark on a short tour this April along with Golden Bloom and Michael J Epstein Memorial Library, members of which are in Neutral Uke Hotel. But, Neutral Uke Hotel isn’t your average tribute; they play this beloved album entirely on ukulele. The three bands will play seven shows, starting in Boston on April 20th.

The group, made up of Shawn Fogel (vocals, ukulele), Josh Cohen (melodica), Matt Girard (trumpet), Andrew Laubacher (percussion) and Michael J. Epstein (baritone ukulele), has been playing sold out shows to enthusiastic crowds who were encouraged to sing along. Epstein, who also fronts Michael J Epstein Memorial Library, said, “People were encouraged to sing, clap, and stomp along... and they weren't shy!”

Never fear, avid Neutral Milk Hotel fans, Fogel, front man of Golden Bloom, and the rest of Neutral Uke are quite reverential for Jeff Magnum’s classic.  Fogel says of this project, “It’s one of my favorite records ever, and the album doesn’t just have fans. The people who love that album are obsessed with it. The goal of the project: to strip these songs down and get people in a room to share their love for this album.’’

Fogel recently finished recording an EP to follow up to Golden Bloom’s Fan the Flames (2009); which was compared favorably to Summerteeth-era Wilco, The New Pornographers, and Big Star. For the new EP, titled March to the Drums, Fogel once again worked with long time studio counterpart Ryan Ball as well as producer Peter Katis (Frightened Rabbit, The National, Interpol and Tokyo Police Club). He’s also recently recorded a cover of Wussy’s “Magic Words,” which is available at http://goldenbloom.bandcamp.com/track/magic-words-wussy-c...

Michael J Epstein Memorial Library works fast. Epstein recruited band members for the dectet through Facebook and Craigslist. The group formed in July, played their first show in September, recorded in November and finished their debut album, Volume One in February. The album does not feel hastily produced, though. The songs are layered in instrumentation, lyrics and vocal harmony. “Every Time I Visit You, It Rains,” for example, based on the true story of a cursed relationship ends with what Epstein calls “a free jazz rainstorm,” which was created by recording “each part without any playback of what else was going on.” The debut also features a haunting cover of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ “The Weeping Song”. Both Epstein and Tanya K. Palit sing their own harmonies in this conversation between father and son that was chosen because its darkness would draw people’s attention to the lyrics and ideas on the rest of the album.

Neutral Uke Hotel Tour Dates

4/20/11 Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
4/21/11 Cameo Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
4/22/11 Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
4/23/11 Schubas Tavern, Chicago, IL
4/24/11 Gabe's, Iowa City, IA
4/26/11 Garfield Artworks, Pittsburgh, PA
4/27/11 World Cafe Live (Upstairs), Philadelphia, PA

Praise for Neutral Uke Hotel

“King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1” Video featured on Brooklyn Vegan

"Covered in Glory" featured Neutral Uke Hotel--Jonathan Perry, Boston Globe

"The album's [In the Aeroplane Over the Sea] beloved songs have reached canon status, so why not interpret, and reinterpret, and why not on a ukulele? The uke's personality-laden character provides a subtle foundation in songs like "King Of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1." -- Conrad Doucette, The Blender Blog

Exclusive Video of Live in-store performance at Eastwood Guitars

Video Post Exclusive "Maybe it's because we loved the first video so much, or maybe we're still high off Jeff Mangum (of Neutral Milk Hotel) playing his songs live for the first time in a over a decade. Whatever the case, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea has once again become my favorite record ever, and Shawn Fogel's ukulele renditions are the best covers I've heard from the iconic indie album."--Jason Diamond, jewcy.com

"Fogel will play the entire album with his own little twist. He's going to play it on the ukulele, baby!"
-- Rob Vassegh, Cheap Thrills

Featured on Crawdaddy Magazine website--Angela Zimmerman

"Also known as Shawn Fogel of Golden Bloom, Neutral Uke Hotel plans to cover In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in its entirety, on the ukulele. He’s already posted two videos from the project, and since we love NMH and Jewfros, we’re eagerly anticipating the rest."--Judy Berman, Flavorpill

JamBase feature
"I had been afraid that the whole experience would be kind of kitsch-y, but I was wholly incorrect in that assumption. The group is obviously reverential, and they impart their love for an album that was formative for them, and one that they personally cherish in the way they know best." --Tympanogram

Orange Apple Banana features "King of Carrot Flowers" video

Parasites & Sycophants features "Communist Daughter" video

"Communist Daughter" video featured on Ukulele Hunt

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