The Straight Outta Christchurch Tour
8th August 2007 - Press Release


Black Market Art and Jimmy Zoom & The Beytown Grifters present The Straight Outta Christchurch Tour.

Black Market Art... “Pure pop with boyish glee” – Chris Andrews, The Deal / thebigcity.co.nz, “Falling somewhere between The Clean and The Beatles, Black Market Art are the future of New Zealand music” – Miriama McDonald, The Press.

Jimmy Zoom & the Beytown Grifters... “The audience is left with all the sweaty exhilaration of a race down the Southern Alps” – Groove Guide

For the past year the city of Christchurch has been struggling to contain a city brimming with exciting independent pop outfits, with acts squirming out of the over-heating incubation nest left, right and centre. Following the trail of past tour-buddies Connan & the Mockasins and The Ruby Suns come two exciting new bands on tour, Black Market Art and Jimmy Zoom & the Beytown Grifters, from the city whose figurehead is a man with a wand and wizard’s hat.

Twanging their way through joyous sets, Black Market Art injects a new sense of possibility, spontaneity and adventure into the increasingly homogenous sphere of indie pop. With the simple, almost primitive tools of bass, drums, guitar and vocals, the band has a knack for musical exploration, with more fun and less pretension.
“Because we’re without effects pedals or auxiliary instruments we’re really quite concerned – almost obsessive - about creating an interesting sound,” says singer and guitarist Darian Woods.

Taken under the wing of countless forward-thinking pop acts, Black Market Art has been building credibility at a rate that belies their youth. Having toured the South Island with Connan & the Mockasins, The Ruby Suns and Gasoline Cowboy before even reaching the age of voting, Black Market Art are now one year older, and happy to drag a swag of fresh new songs and real I.D.’s through the country.
“In the past we’ve been lucky to be protected by established bands playing with us. Now that they’ve flown overseas to chase their future, we’re looking to forward mapping out our own route.”

Chosen by the New Zealand Music Industry Commission to launch New Zealand Music month alongside Fur Patrol, Black Market Art are a band rapidly gaining notice from those with an ear on the pulse of fresh music.

Joining them on their tour is perhaps New Zealand’s most creatively named band, Jimmy Zoom and the Beytown Grifters are finding their rapid ascent up the Christchurch musical ladder and reputation for fresh song writing somewhat surprising. Both catchy and lyrical, The Grifters hold a spell over the dance-floor with revellers simultaneously shaking it up and listening to every word of their densely imagined world of regional New Zealand dreams, abstract art and the folly of gambling.

“I enjoy the more mundane aspects of modern life: what we eat, how we eat, what’s on the telly, has Powerball jack-potted? Am I going to have a bad day because it's raining outside?” says understatedly charismatic front-man Sam Ellis.  “I enjoy presenting facts to people, as well as what I think are facts. I like telling partial truths that I didn't know were partial truths.”

Their self-aware yet uncringingly New Zealand humour puts a raw spin on half a century of rock tradition, drawing comparisons to lo-fi shriekers The Sonics touched by the indelible impressions of Flying Nun and, more recently, Li’l Chief Records. Speaking of his shows, Ellis sums up his manifesto: “We're looking for every person to get off the streets, put on their dancing shoes and come and have a great time with great mates.”

Joining Black Market Art and Jimmy Zoom and the Beytown Grifters is an extensive and well-chosen support cast of quality independent pop outfits, including grizzly tune-tamers Teenwolf and Holiday With Friends. The bands’ shows look set to be tasty pop parties, straight outta Christchurch.

www.myspace.com/blackmarketart
www.myspace.com/jimmyzoomandthebeytowngrifters

Black Market Art and Jimmy Zoom and the Beytown Grifters Tour Dates:

31st August – Mighty Mighty – Wellington – With Holiday With Friends and Little Pictures
1st September – Masonic Tavern – Auckland – With Teenwolf, The Gladeyes and The Earlybirds
7th September – Backstage – Dunedin – With K.O.T.A.C.
8th September – Dux de Lux – Queenstown
29th September – Dux de Lux – Christchurch



Photos by Chris Andrews of thebigcity.co.nz

PRESS RELEASE ENDS
For all media enquiries and interviews:
Darian Woods Ph 027 483 5842 Darian.Woods@gmail.com
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Kids is title of the upcoming 10-track debut of indie-pop songsters Black Market Art. Utilizing the studio to its fullest with the help of engineer Jules Marchant, the first half of Kids shows an eclectically orchestrated Black Market Art, songs sprinkled with flavours of flugal horn, glockenspiel and harpsichord, among many others.

The second half of the album captures the band's live sense of raw fun and sponteniety, with four tracks recorded by local band-pie-fingerer Marcus Winstanley of The Undercurrents and Minisnap.

A release party featuring guests including The Ragamuffin Children will take place on Friday the 24th of August at Ya Ya Teahouse on Poplar Lane. Tickets are very limited and available through the venue and Galaxy records.