GOS tour in support of debut albumAugust 26th, 2008

God of Shamisen, featuring Estradasphere collaborator and Tsugaru-Shamisen master Kevin Kmetz, as well as Estradasphere drummer Lee Smith, will be touring the west coast USA next month, celebrating the release of their debut CD Dragon String Attack on Reptile Records!

Mon Sept 8 - Seattle WA @ the Funhouse (with Diminished Men)
Tues Sept 9 - Portland OR @ Dunes (with SHAT)
Wed Sept 10 - Medford OR @ Johnny B's
Thurs Sept 11 - Eugene OR @ Samurai Duck
Fri Sept 12 - Chico CA @ CRUX Artist Collective
Sat Sept 13 - Oakland CA @ the Fishtank
Sun Sept 14 - Glendale CA @ The Scene (with Foxycock)
Tues Sept 16 - Fresno CA @ Audie's Olympic (with Foxycock and Brian Kenney Fresno)
Wed Sept 17 - Santa Cruz CA @ Blue Lagoon
Thurs Sept 18 - Mountain View CA Free in-store performance @ Rasputins Records
Fri Sept 19 - San Francisco CA @ Bottom of the Hill

Anyone nearby, we'd love to see you!

More details about each show at www.godofshamisen.com and www.myspace.com/gos

'Orange Tulip Conspiracy' releasedJuly 20th, 2008

Five years in the making, Orange Tulip Conspiracy is finally here. A band that Jason Schimmel (Estradasphere, Secret Chiefs 3) formed and has been composing and producing for with the help of over a dozen amazing musicians from the L.A., Bay Area and Seattle music scenes. The album is being released and distributed through Web of Mimicry and is available right now. Please check out Orange Tulip Conspiracy’s self- titled debut album featuring heavily produced tracks and densely packed orchestrations. Taking the listener on a journey through an extremely eclectic musical mind Orange Tulip Conspiracy is a must have release of 2008.

Review and ordering information can be found here.

SUMMER 2008 updateJuly 7th, 2008

The post-Palace of Mirrors psychic explosion that Estradasphere has endured is frying all manners of new synapses...

While the band as a whole will maintain a low profile for the next several months (during bass player/producer Tim Smolens' adaptation to fatherhood), there will be ample opportunity throughout the US and Europe to see smaller-format versions of Estradasphere featuring various combinations of the members, as well as the members' other current projects, including Timb and Jason's outings with the Secret Chiefs 3, Jason's upcoming solo project Orange Tulip Conspiracy , and Timb's new trio with Gyan Riley and Scott Amendola.

Meanwhile, Estradasphere has just wrapped up some fruitful work in the studio with Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) which are now sitting on the pad waiting to be launched. In the meantime, Amanda will appear with Estradasphere this summer at the Rothbury Music Festival (July 4th weekend, see forum for details). Keep an eye out for future live and studio collaborations between these strange bedfellows..."

The New LobefoodFebruary 28th, 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Estradasphere is officially launching a brand new version of their online storeLOBEFOOD. Many years in the making, the plans are now seeing their first glimpses of material realization. Bass/producer guy Tim Smolens says, "We have always sought a way to release the stuff that fell between the cracks of our major album and movie releases."

In addition to a sacred Northwest migratory corporate merger i-collusion (old Chummery handoff of the burning torch) with experimental ethnomusicology label Sublime Frequencies, and a strong alliance with the SC3/Mimicry camp, as well as Amanda Palmer, Estradasphere's got too much going on these days.

LOBEFOOD exists primarily as an umbrella for our particular musical affiliations. It also allows us to release products that don't exist in the normal business avenues, while simultaneously helping to chip away at the $20K debt we've amassed making the Palace DVD! Everyone wins.

Click on "Store" above to see the enticing LOBEFOOD EXCLUSIVE offerings

More to come from the Amanda Palmer/Estradasphere collaborationJanuary 2nd, 2008

Estradasphere has been producing songs for, and playing as the backup band for Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls. They recently played a series of sold out shows at Estradasphere's new Seattle space.
Show Review
Another Review
Another great review
awesome pics from the shows with Amanda here
And more pics here

From Amanda Palmer:
"I am excpetionally proud to announce that i'll be working on a number of collaborations with Estradasphere. The band and I just holed up in Seattle for a marathon of rehearsals and recordings that made everybody very, very excited. We played three private shows in the new seattle space at 608, using lots of the space to make fun live video feeds that projected on the wall of the space (songs from the bathtub! songs from the bedroom! many pianos being played simultaneously from a room far far away!). Chip took mad footage and we are sorting through and will hopefully start posting the results soon. Everyone is hard at work mixing through the recordings we did at Litho and in the space, no set plan on how this stuff will come out but when it does come out it will come out with a large loud BANGING gasp. We're setting our sights on a spring co-headlining tour of the states with Secret Chiefs 3, with all three bands merging logistical setups (Amanda, SC3, and Estradasphere), with some dates on the east coast and west coast in february for just me, estradasphere, and accordion-slayer jason webley. All full circle. it was jason i was with when I stumbled upon the fine gentlemen of estradasphere last spring after a falafel dinner and had my mind fairly blown away by their incredible music. more soon" - Amanda Palmer

The boys and Amanda will be playing another round of shows together in the PacNW this February, check back for tour dates as they come in!

Esphere members record for John Zorn's MasadaJanuary 2nd, 2008

Jason Schimmel, Timb Harris, Tim Smolens, and Adam Stacey recently recorded John Zorn Masada compositions arranged and produced by the Secret Chiefs 3 entitled, "Xaphan: Book of Angels volume 9," coming this spring.

preview of the Tzadik album

2008 - Will Be the Year of EstradasphereJanuary 2nd, 2008

Happy New of Year
Estradasphere members Timb Harris, Jason Schimmel, and Tim Smolens have just returned from their fist European tour as a trio. The tour was a wonderful success and we thank everyone who helped us out. We played shows in France, The Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. Timb and Jason also played with the Secret Chiefs 3 for John Zorn's Masada and Cobra in Milano, Italy.

There are some nice clips that fans have put on you tube....
South France
Lamego, Portugal
Lamego City Hall, Portugal - a speech from the mayor likening the globe-trotting tendencies of our music with their beloved port wine export!

Estradasphere trio coming to EuropeNovember 7th, 2007

A stripped down Estradasphere trio starving/backpacking/musical debauchery tour with Timb Harris, Jason Schimmel, and Tim Smolens, will be from November 22nd through December 9th. Timb and Jason are playing at the John Zorn Masada festival in Milan, Italy on Nov. 23rd where they will be performing with both Secret Chiefs 3 and Zorn's Cobra. We are hoping to play many gigs in any venue (clubs, coffee shops, house parties, street corners) Also we are traveling so light if anyone can lend us an Upright bass for any amount of time that would be great. And if anyone has an extra guitar amp Jason would smile. Please email all booking offers of any type to: laurel@silverleafbooking.com Any other inquiries, please contact us at: info@estradasphere.com Thank you all. See you soon.

Jason and Timb to play Masada Festival in ItalySeptember 30th, 2007

Jason and Timb are heading to Italy (Milan) in late November to play with the Secret Chiefs 3 in John Zorn's Masada Festival. Look for the new Tzadik release of Masada compositions arranged and produced by the Secret Chiefs 3 entitled, "Xaphan: Book of Angels volume 9" coming this winter.

Estradasphere touring with Amanda PalmerSeptember 30th, 2007

Members of Estradasphere have been hard at work producing songs with Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls) for her forthcoming debut solo release.

Furthermore, the band will be opening and supporting her as her backing band on a West Coast Tour in late October. Stay tuned for dates. (there will be a series of shows at the Seattle studio, stay tuned for details on how to get in, it will surely reach capacity quickly!)

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