Fleshtones Celebrate ‘Hipster Heaven’ – Song Premiere
Three decades after their seminal album Hexbreaker!, iconic garage rockers the Fleshtones remain as energetic as ever – check out “Hipster Heaven,” which premieres here. The rollicking, handclapping number comes ahead of their latest studio album, Wheel of Talent, which will be released on February 11th.
“‘Hipster Heaven’? Well I live there,” says Fleshtones singer Peter Zaremba. “We left the East Village and almost moved to Williamsburg, but decided on Greenpoint instead because it was quieter. Well, it took 14 years, but it’s happened. It must be me. Bring ’em on! Anyway, I grew up about 2 miles from where we live here in Greenpoint. The song itself came to me in a dream – really. The band was playing on top of a sort of multi-colored ‘Magic Bus’ in the middle of a field, and the song rode out on that maniacal laughter. I just remember waking up with that laughter in my head and realized I was still laughing to myself in bed.”
The Fleshtones, who have more than 20 albums in their canon, are a New York rock & roll institution. They were the first band ever booked into Irving Plaza and Maxwell’s, they have supported Chuck Berry and James Brown and have collaborated with producer Steve Albini (Nirvana, Pixies) and R.E.M.‘s Peter Buck through the years. Zaremba was also the original host of the Eighties MTV program IRS Records Presents the Cutting Edge, which launched a bevy of underground and modern rock bands.
In support of Wheel of Talent, the Fleshtones will launch a U.S. tour through the Northeast and the South, beginning on February 27th at the Grand Victory in Brooklyn. The trek will also include a pair of SXSW dates. The band’s full itinerary is available here.