God's Boat Press Release

In case you are interested, here is a copy of the current press release that we are sending out with press copies of the album. It has gone through some changes since the first one, and often it is tailored to a specific type of publication ...

San Francisco pop rebels the Passionistas deliver bright hooks and refreshingly simple home-studio production on their debut, God’s Boat – available now from New and Used Records. Lyrically, the band draws inspiration from their hip hop heroes, as co-founder Aaron Sunshine proclaims, "Mostly, we write diss songs." Beneath the good-natured melodies, you're likely to hear some jabs directed towards indie kids, socialists, and one particular grandma.

The album marks the first release from New and Used Records – a San Francisco imprint originally launched as a music blog. Label president Will Benham has been documenting the band since last year through a series of internet videos, while blogging daily about the startup label experience. Both can be seen at www.newandusedrecords.com.

With a relentless dedication to defying convention, the Passionistas play with an almost unmatchable confidence. Their live set can easily veer away from straightforward rock ‘n roll and into the avant garde. "They play the way ‘musicians’ can't," says God’s Boat producer and Sub Pop recording artist, Kelley Stoltz. “I mean that in the best way.”

While comparisons to obscure seventies garage acts are not uncommon, the band is influenced as much by mainstream pop culture as they are by rock music. Sunshine and his songwriting partner, Myles Cooper, draw inspiration from US Weekly and fashion designers, while you'd be most likely to find Gwen Stefani, Beyonce, Kelis and Timbaland beats on the two’s respective iPods. (They've even recorded a rap "mixtape," freestyling over "Laffy Taffy," "Promiscuous Girl" and more). Filling out the lineup is bassist Andrew Lux, an Amoeba Records employee and actively vocal fan of the Bay's growing indie scene. Their artistry isn’t limited to music as all three maintain projects outside the group that include painting, textile arts and graphic design. Stoltz is admittedly not as aware of American pop culture as his protégés, preferring to listen to obscure old records at his day job while frequently re-recording entire Echo and the Bunnymen albums.

Thus, God’s Boat retains an unabashed punk rock aesthetic while lyrically embracing American culture as much as it critiques it. "Going Gay" – recently selected as a San Francisco Chronicle “Download of the Week” - is a ridiculously catchy number about following your true desires, with Cooper musing, "All the girls, they sing it just one key/ but the boys, they sing in harmony." On "Y2K" (dubbed “the Gwen Stefani song” by the band), Sunshine and Cooper joke about the computer glitch that threatened to end the world, singing, "terrorists/ are here to stay/ China's gonna crush us/blah blah, blah blah/ things are so much better today." "The Socialists" showcases Sunshine's taste for history and politics as he quips, "Just cause you quote Lenin/ doesn’t give you a license to kill.”

Such a unique album deserves a unique marketing strategy. N&UR founder Will Benham came in contact with the Passionistas through his self-produced internet video series, which spotlighted indie acts such as Stoltz, the Little Ones and the Boy Least Likely. The two parties found they had much in common, and Benham eventually pitched the label idea to the band. Not only did Benham plan to release God’s Boat but he wanted their fans to see the entire process. A recurring video series chronicles the Passionistas’ past and present, while Benham’s daily blog details the label’s ups and downs. "Entertainment is becoming increasingly centered around new media,” Benham says. “The prospect of building a label around it is very exciting.”

In an era when the internet communities "threaten" to break down the standard industry model, N&UR is a company born out of them. "Music fans are more influential now than ever," Benham says. "I'd rather work with them, as opposed to fighting them."

The philosophies surrounding the label and the band both apply a modern twist to D.I.Y. music politics. The Passionistas have always operated with the philosophy that everyone should follow their artistic passion, regardless of critical response. Critical response thus far, however, has been rather glowing:

"These pranksters deliver surprisingly mature music behind the guise of slapstick funny lyrics.” - The Owl Magazine

"'God's Boat' is easily the most entertaining and exciting pop album of the year so far and positive to have you singing along and shimmying the night away." – Steven Pfau, Avoid Peril.com

"Everyone wants to make these big powerful songs about the state of our government, and The Passionistas turn the situation on its head - giving everyone the middle finger. They take on an absurd situation with their own brand of absurdity." – Rewriteable Content (blog)

“Predictably, there are lots of things we like. Two of them are silly names and clever lyrics. San Franciscans The Passionistas have both of these.” – This is Fake DIY (UK), “Best of MySpace” Feature