King Tuff Plays Surprise Record Release Show in LA, ‘The Other’ Out Now, 2018 Tour Dates
The King is dead, long live the King! With his latest full-length solo album, The Other, gonzo garage rocker King Tuff (aka Kyle Thomas) has taken an introspective turn. For the last few months, Kyle has barely been able to contain his excitement over the new album. But all that anticipation is over, as of Friday, April 13, the LP is now available online and in stores. To celebrate, Kyle played a surprise show at Zebulon in Los Angeles on release-day eve, with Cory Hanson of Wand assisting on guitar. Also, in advance of his full-band tour in May, Kyle has been playing free solo gigs at record stores on the West Coast. You can get a sampling of these sets below. The last of the special in-stores goes down at Fingerprints in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, April 21.
The Other is a comeback album of sorts for Kyle. Not that he ever tumbled sonically, but when he announced the record and shared the title track back in January, he explained that he felt like he had lost his way following the release of 2014’s Black Moon Spell. He needed to take a step back. The Other was conceived on Kyle’s terms. It was produced on his own time, in a home studio, similar to his breakthrough record Was Dead, but is grander in scope. Kyle plays every instrument on the tracks aside from drums and saxophone, which he enlisted Ty Segall, and Muggers crony Mikal Cronin to help out with. Shawn Everett (War On Drugs, Alabama Shakes) assisted with mixing, and Jenny Lewis and Greta Morgan (Springtime Carnivore) were brought in to do background vocals. The record, while decidedly King Tuffian, contains more expansive arrangements and meditative lyrics. An incredibly soulful work, it explores what it means to be an artist and about keeping that creative light alive. Stand out songs include “The Other”, “Thru the Cracks”, “Circuits in the Sand”, and “Psycho Star”.
King Tuff will be setting out on tour in May. His backing band includes Cherry Glazerr’s Sasami Ashworth on keyboards, Adrien Young on bass, Evan Taylor on drums, and Nicole Lawrence, who recently played with Mary Timony on her Helium tour, on lead guitar. King Tuff brings his roadshow to the Music Hall of Williamsburg on May 18 (tickets). You can find his complete tour schedule below.
Also below, you can get a taste of what went down at his pre-release day show at Zebulon on April 12, 2018, and his solo shows in Portland, OR and Oakland, CA.
The Other is out now via Sub Pop and is available for purchase all your favorite platforms.
King Tuff Tour Dates:
4/21 – Long Beach, CA – Fingerprints
5/3 – San Diego, CA @ The Casbah * ^
5/4 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar *
5/5 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf *
5/7 – Houston, TX @ Rockefeller Hall *
5/8 – Austin, TX 2 Barracuda (outside) *
5/9 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
5/11 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks * ^
5/12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl *
5/13 – Nashville TN @ The Basement East * ^
5/14 – Lexington, KY @ The Burl * ^
5/16 – Washington DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel *
5/18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * ^
5/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church *
5/20 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall *
5/22 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
5/23 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
5/24 – Detroit, MI @ El Club * ^
5/25 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
5/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club *
5/29 – Denver, CO @ Globe Hall *
5/30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
6/1 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile * ^
6/2 – Vancouver, BC @ Fortune Sound Club * ^
6/3 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater * ^
6/5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent * ^
6/7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom * ^
6/9 – Sonoma, CA @ Huichica Festival
8/13 – Manchester, UK – Night People
8/14 – Glasgow, UK – Broadcast
8/16 – London, UK – Moth Club
8/16-19 – Brecon Beacons, UK @ Greenman Festival
8/8-12 – Cornwall, UK @ Boardmasters Festival
* w/ Cut Worms
^ w/ SASAMI
Photo credit: Olivia Bee