Despite the band's British pedigree, the foursome -- singer Matt McManamon, guitarist/keyboardist Ben Gordon, bassist Charlie Turner and drummer Bryan Johnson -- have been winning fans in the ranks of America's punk elite, thanks in part to a stint on the Warped Tour this past summer.
"A lot of American people took to us quite quickly, which is slightly unusual for a British band, so we're just embracing it," McManamon says. "We're kind of out there on our own -- it's not like us and the Kaiser Chiefs taking on America. So to have people like Tim Armstrong of the Transplants and Mike Ness [of Social Distortion] -- people who are legends in their scene -- endorse our band, I didn't expect it. It's cool."
The group will drop "Train to Nowhere," the follow-up to their debut single "Riot Radio," in time for the jaunt. According to Turner, the song is about growing up in Liverpool. The track is expected to be followed by the ska-rocker "We Get Low," which draws on McManamon's more impoverished times. "That's about when I was a struggling musician, before I got signed," he recounts. "It's a little story about actually going down to sign on the dole."
Although the Dead 60s plan to return to the U.S. early next year, they are looking forward to taking a few weeks off around Christmas to work on some new material. "We've got some new songs," Turner says, his thoughts already turning to their second record. "We'll still do different grooves because otherwise we'll get bored. There'll be some speed-funk punk, like the old Talking Heads stuff. It's an interesting groove because it's like twice the speed as a hip-hop beat, so you'll be able to tap your foot at the same time."
Dead 60s North American tour dates:
10/7: Worcester, MA, Palladium
10/8: Allentown, PA, Crocodile Rock
10/10: Toronto, Kool Haus
10/11: Pittsburgh, Ice Garden
10/13: Cleveland, HOB
10/14: Cleveland, HOB
10/15: Columbus, OH, PromoWest Pavilion
10/18: New York, Rothko
10/20: Philadelphia, TLA
10/21: Philadelphia, TLA
10/22: Philadelphia, TLA
10/23: State College, PA, The Crow Bar
10/25: Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
10/26: Baltimore, Sonar
10/27: Norfolk, VA, NorVa
10/28: Atlanta, Tabernacle
10/30: Houston, Meridian
10/31: Dallas, Granada Theatre
11/1: Austin, TX Stubb's
11/3: Denver, Gothic Theatre
11/4: Denver, Gothic Theatre
11/5: Denver, Gothic Theatre
11/6: Denver, Gothic Theatre
11/7: Salt Lake City, Club Sound
11/9: San Francisco, Fillmore
11/10: San Francisco, Fillmore
11/11: Santa Cruz, CA, Catalyst
11/13: San Francisco, Fillmore
11/14: San Francisco, Fillmore
11/15: San Francisco, Fillmore
11/16: Los Angeles, Avalon
11/18: Chain Reaction, Anaheim
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