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PRODID:-//Paradise City Music//paradisecitymusic//EN
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SUMMARY:White Denim w/ Arc Iris
DTSTART:20261011T000000Z
DTEND:20261011T030000Z
DTSTAMP:20260818T205200Z
UID:event-56@paradisecitymusic
DESCRIPTION:“I’ve always wanted to make work that’s a reflection of 
 my life experience\,” says singer-guitarist James Petralli\, leader of v
 enturous L.A.-based rockers White Denim. “The just-below-the-surface sig
 nificance to ‘13’ as an album title is that I was born on the thirteen
 th of August. ‘13’ in numerology can signify independence\, creativity
 \, and a solid foundation\, but inversely is often considered to be unluck
 y and can signify chaos and misfortune. Like everyone\, I can certainly se
 e both sides in my life.”‘13’ also happens to be the thirteenth albu
 m of White Denim’s career. An incandescent\, groove-heavy alchemy of roc
 k\, funk\, dub\, soul and down-dirty blues – and plenty more besides –
  it’s imbued with the same questing spirit that’s been the band’s tr
 ademark since first starting in Austin\, Texas\, some 20 years ago.Petrall
 i’s wide-ranging musical appetites have become more voracious over time.
  The sounds and textures of ‘13’ are informed by everyone from Scritti
  Politti to The Gap Band\, Terry Reid to King Tubby\, Caetano Veloso to Jo
 hn Cale\, Stevie Wonder to ‘80s-era Steve Winwood. Such diversity is ref
 lected in multi-faceted gems like “(God Created) Lock And Key”\, “On
 ly A Fool” and “That’s Rap”.The seed of the project is rooted in t
 he irresistible “Chew Nails”. “It’s a straightforward glam-rock tu
 ne\,” says Petralli. “My take on the ‘New York Groove’\, which is 
 itself a take on the Bo Diddley beat. It has a big ol’ guitar riff and a
  singalong chorus. It’s familiar territory for me\, yet the vocal is per
 haps more forward than most things I’ve done for the band. It’s the so
 ng that made me feel like I was definitely making a White Denim album.”T
 he duality of ‘13’ is immediately apparent. The pungent funk-blues of 
 opener “(God Created) Lock And Key” begins with a piece of waggish sel
 f-mythology – “On the thirteenth day God created White Denim...” –
  but soon goes somewhere darker. “This is a Beefheart / Sun Ra sort of t
 hing\,” Petralli explains. “I hope that it’s a somewhat terrifying\,
  startling\, and visceral piece for everyone that hears it. Everything I s
 ay in that song is the truth. It&apos\;s about power\, generational cycles
  of abuse\, shame\, violence\, and survival. The things that we all unders
 tand and know and see and push down to get through the day.”Elsewhere\, 
 the temperate “Time Time” heads into the kind of soulful\, horn-gilded
  territory that earmarked White Denim’s previous album\, 2024’s critic
 ally lauded ‘12’. Here\, Petralli addresses the roll of the years\, cr
 eative freedom and the importance of family: “It’s a sort of promise t
 hat\, as long as I’m alive\, I will try to prioritise my wife and childr
 en and our relationships above all else.” This is a key theme of ‘13
 ’. “I felt that I had to write about my life and experience as a middl
 e-aged dad trying to do better for a family and make sense of this life th
 rough making art\,” he adds.A similar sensibility drives the fabulous 
 “Earth To”\, a hallucinatory piece of self-reflection that charts Petr
 alli’s journey thus far. Though\, as ever with White Denim\, it also spe
 aks to the universal. “If you zoom out a little bit\, the song is ultima
 tely a sort of takedown of the American dream\,” he says.Then there’s 
 “Keep Calling Me (Baby)”\, which rides a fine line between dubby calyp
 so and shimmery sunshine-pop. Petralli likens it to “sort of Ace of Base
  meets Cyndi Lauper meets Roy Orbison in my mind. Nick Lowe’s ‘Jesus O
 f Cool’ tells me it’s OK to do whatever you want. He gave me permissio
 n to do this one.”The song features band members Michael Hunter (keyboar
 ds) and Cat Clemons (guitar)\, alongside original drummer Josh Block\, who
 \, having also journeyed west from Texas in recent times\, is now Petralli
 ’s neighbour. Block’s presence on ‘13’ - alongside the likes of Ma
 tt Young (drums\, percussion)\, Jesse Chandler (clarinet\, sax\, flute)\, 
 Kosta Galanoupolis (bass)\, and Dawes siblings Griffin and Taylor Goldsmit
 h – highlights both the fluid nature of latter-day White Denim and Petra
 lli’s determination to honour the band’s initial directive.Also aboard
  is fellow original\, bassist Steve Terebecki. “I wouldn’t call a proj
 ect White Denim if it didn&apos\;t include significant contributions from 
 another founding member of the group\,” asserts Petralli. “‘12’ an
 d ‘13’ both feature Josh and Steve in various capacities. I recorded a
 nd arranged these last two records for the most part\, but I really don’
 t ever want to be alone. Music has given me a place and purpose in this wo
 rld. And it’s been the primary way I’ve connected with other people ov
 er the years.”‘13’ proves that Petrali continues to do so. And in im
 perious style\nTickets: https://ironhorse.org/shows\nFull listing: https:/
 /paradisecitymusic.org/show/56
LOCATION:Iron Horse Music Hall\, 18 Center St.\, Northampton\, MA
URL:https://paradisecitymusic.org/show/56
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