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<\/a><\/div>\nTOPIC-RACES Announce US Tour With Generationals || Debut LP ‘Year Of The Witch’ Out Now On Frenchkiss Records<\/p>\n
RACES exists as a result of artistic rebirth and personal rediscovery, but it all starts at a point in Wade Ryff\u2019s life where motivation was at its most scarce. Disillusioned with music, beset with the bitter ending of a relationship with a real life witch and faced with the overwhelming stagnation of being a 23-year old in the sleepy suburban outpost of Van Nuys, during that time, Ryff wrote the pleading lyrics of \u201cBig Broom\u201d in the bathroom of his parents house. He explains the song\u2019s message as \u201caccepting that every ending is a new beginning, and even if we may have no control over when things are given or taken from us, we can always choose how to respond.\u201d Whether he realized it or not at the time, it would serve as a mission statement for a handful of musicians in the area who were also idling through their 20\u2019s and desperate for a new beginning. Breanna Wood, Garth Herberg, Lucas Ventura, Devon Lee and Oliver Hild knew each other prior to RACES\u2019 first show, played in bands together, and oh yeah, either had dated or were currently dating each other. Still, nothing could anticipate it all coming together for Year Of The Witch, a life-affirming document forged from the pain of a time when life feels most uncertain and coming out of it renewed. In regards to their evocative band name, Ryff explains: \u201cI relate to the name in the sense that it seems like there is always something to be up against, and strong desire to overcome whatever it is.\u201d Ryff had been quietly working on solo material, and in 2009, a friend asked him to open for a show he was booking. And he was up against the daunting task of stepping out of the sidelines as a bass player and putting his own untrained vocals to the fore. More than any singer, Ryff found his inspiration as a lyricist in the works of early 20th-century authors. But his musical heroes that were well-chosen too: Leonard Cohen\u2019s Death of a Ladies Man for its integration of Brill Building sophistication and as a template for RACES\u2019 use of backup singers and keyboards; Television for Ryff and Herberg\u2019s ingenious, yet subtle guitar interplay which permeates Year Of The Witch. In a mad dash, Ryff and Herberg got in touch with some of their old friends and bandmates and assembled a \u201cdream team,\u201d five additional musicians from around the area he admired, including Hild on bass, Herberg on guitar, Wood on keyboards, and Lee on vocals and percussion. Ventura would play drums for the second RACES show and they\u2019d lose a backup vocalist who went to focus on her solo project (Ryff empathizes), but otherwise, RACES has remained exactly the same since that very first gig. What sunk in was the effortlessness of it all: RACES never had to hustle to book their own shows despite living in Van Nuys, a twenty minute drive from Los Angeles that often feels hours removed from it all. Above all else was a chemistry that just couldn\u2019t be faked or brainstormed during \u201cband business meetings.\u201d They attribute their work ethic to their humble surroundings, spending entire days honing their material in a Chatsworth studio because, well, what else are you supposed to do in the Valley? For the most part, RACES didn\u2019t even see themselves as a \u201cserious band\u201d until local boutique imprint JAXART felt their demos were simply too good for a limited release, and label interest spread rapidly. The fit with New York\u2019s venerated Frenchkiss Records was perfect \u2013 indeed, with RACES\u2019 ability to derive such resonant and instantly ingratiating pop out of the relatable emotional turmoil of your mid-20\u2019s, it\u2019s no wonder the same label that houses Passion Pit, Dodos and Antlers were such ardent supporters. At its core, there are plenty of sad songs and waltzes \u2013 \u201cThe Knife,\u201d \u201cWalk Through The Fire\u201d and \u201cAll For You\u201d all have a melodic and lyrical directness befitting their origins as Ryff\u2019s solo work. But as Ryff admits, \u201cI didn\u2019t want to play music that\u2019s just a sappy guy on an acoustic guitar,\u201d and RACES flesh them out to swoon with dramatic grandeur and earthen rusticity behind Ryff\u2019s plaintive words. It\u2019s a startling show of sophistication from a band who has only been together for less than two years. The ornate orchestration and vocal arrangements on the female-led counterpoint \u201cDon\u2019t Be Cruel\u201d in particular owe their origins to Herberg\u2019s background as a composer \u2013 he\u2019s the one who brings Ryff\u2019s Leonard Cohen fantasies to fruition. Quoth Ryff, \u201che\u2019s our Brian Jones.\u201d But even with the speed at which RACES are going forward, they haven\u2019t gotten complacent in the slightest \u2013 they\u2019re already working out new material for their next album, which they hope will integrate more of the electronic textures they\u2019ve been experimenting with and won\u2019t be so much \u201cabout a girl,\u201d as Ryff jokes. But their goals are still modest \u2013 maybe playing the Bowery Ballroom in New York, getting better as musicians, the sort of things deemed worthy to a band that isn\u2019t looking to piggyback on any sort of hype cycle. But what do they hope for most of all? Ryff puts it best: \u201cI\u2019d rather get dropped and start back at the beginning than not have fun with these guys.\u201d It\u2019s a fitting mission statement for a band for whom every show feels as exciting as that very first one. <\/p>\n
Date Recorded: 9\/25\/2012<\/p>\n