Fresh off their wildly successful 2013-2014 Culture Clash world tour, The Aristocrats – by any measure the hottest new band in instrumental rock/fusion today – rewrote their own rules for their third studio album, Tres Caballeros, which is slated for release in late June.
After two fairly raw trio albums, guitarist Guthrie Govan (Steven Wilson, Asia/GPS), bassist Bryan Beller (Joe Satriani, Dethklok) and drummer Marco Minnemann (Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani) set up camp at legendary Sunset Sound studios in Hollywood, CA, where Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Van Halen all recorded landmark albums.
The result: Nine new compositions of greater sonic depth and breadth than ever before, with unique textures and lush layering augmenting the band’s preternatural ability to improvise both individually and as a group at the highest levels possible. But not to worry – it’s all still tempered with a steadfast refusal to take themselves too seriously, and The Aristocrats are still having more fun than a fusion band has any right to have.
“We’ve learned a lot since we started this band – four years, three studio albums, two live DVDs and about a billion notes ago! – and I think our latest offering reflects this in all kinds of ways,” says guitarist Guthrie Govan. “The decision to road-test our new material in front of a live audience before commencing the recording process; the choice to record in a studio which had some thoroughly inspiring rock'n'roll 'mojo'; our sudden urge to become more bold and experimental with overdubs rather than feeling any pressure to record exclusively in a strict 'trio' format… all of this has had some kind of positive effect on the way the new record came out. Plus, I think the material on this album is some of the most interesting stuff we’ve ever written for each other, so… here’s hoping our noble listeners will like the finished product as much as we do!”
The Tres Caballeros tour will bring the band’s new musical vision in trio form to stages across North America in their most ambitious jaunt yet. The Aristocrats will be supported by fellow rock/fusion power trio The Travis Larson Band.
Mon 6-Jul
Sacramento, CA Harlow's
Tues 7-Jul San Francisco, CA Slim's
Wed 8-Jul Santa Cruz, CA
Don Quixote's
Fri 10-Jul Portland, OR
Star Theater
Sat 11-Jul Seattle, WA
Studio Seven
Sun 12-Jul Vancouver, BC, CAN Rickshaw Theatre
Tues 14-Jul Boise, ID
Reef
Wed 15-Jul Salt Lake City, UT Club
X
Fri 17-Jul Denver, CO
Quixote's True Blue
Sat 19-Jul Omaha, NE
Slowdown
Mon 20-Jul Des Moines, IA
The Gaslamp
Tues 21-Jul St. Paul, MN
The Amsterdam Bar And Hall
Fri 24-Jul Chicago, IL
Reggie's
Sat 25-Jul Indianapolis, IN
Birdy's
Sun 26-Jul Cincinnati, OH
The Mad Frog
Tues 28-Jul Cleveland, OH
Beachland Ballroom
Wed 29-Jul Pittsburgh, PA
Hard Rock Café
Thur 30-Jul Columbus, OH
Skully's
Fri 31-Jul Detroit, MI
Token Lounge
Sat 1-Aug Toronto, ON, CAN
Mod Club
Sun 2-Aug Ottawa, ON, CAN
The Rainbow Bistro
Tues 4-Aug Montreal, QC, CAN TBD
Wed 5-Aug Woodstock, NY
Bearsville Theater
Fri 7-Aug Boston, MA
The Middle East
Sat 8-Aug New York City, NY
Irving Plaza
Sun 9-Aug Philadelphia, PA
North Star Bar
Mon 10-Aug Washington, DC
Jammin' Java
Tues 11-Aug Raleigh, NC
Pour House
Thur 13-Aug Charlotte, NC
Tremont Music Hall
Fri 14-Aug Atlanta, GA
TBD
Sat 15-Aug Nashville, TN
The High Watt
Sun 16-Aug St. Louis, MO
Old Rock House
Mon 17-Aug Kansas City, MO The
Scene
Tues 18-Aug Tulsa, OK
The Vanguard
Thur 20-Aug Houston, TX
Fitzgerald's
Fri 21-Aug Austin, TX
The Roost
Sat 22-Aug Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX The Sanctuary
Mon 24-Aug Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
Wed 26-Aug Phoenix, AZ
Club Red
Thur 27-Aug Mexicali, MEXICO Teatro De Estado
Fri 28-Aug San Diego, CA
TBD
Sat 29-Aug Corona/Big Bear, CA TBD
Sun 30-Aug Los Angeles, CA
King King
