Jona Bechtolt, one half of duo The Blow, officially announced he has left that group. You remember The Blow; you heard them on indie dance nite at your local bar and have been meaning to check out their stuff ever since. Anyway, Bechtolt will be focusing on his other project, YACHT, the one-man band you haven't heard yet but keep reading about and/or are confusing with Yacht Rock. Just kidding, I know that only the most in-touch kids, the coolest of the cool, read TMT.
This development seemingly throws the future of The Blow, which had consisted of Bechtolt and Khaela Maricich, into strange, yet familiar, waters. Maricich started the group and was its sole member until the addition of Bechtolt on 2005's Poor Aim: Love Songs EP, which was given the "re-release with bonus tracks" treatment this year by K Records. The duo also put out Paper Television (K) in 2006, which garnered KM & JB much attention and acclaim.
The last few months have seen a flurry of YACHT-related activity. In addition to touring (with bands such as LCD Soundsystem and Tussle), his latest record, I Believe You, Your Magic Is Real (TMT Review), was released last month via Marriage Records. The month before saw a YACHT remix album, with remixes of Architecture in Helsinki, Tussle, Mirah, and more, entitled Our Friends In Hell, on States Rights Records.
YACHT's recent rise in profile via music sites and blogs, plus Bechtolt's absence from The Blow's live lineup as of late, made this news less then surprising. It must also be mentioned that YACHT is about to start a whole new batch of tourdates. This time around, the vessel will start off with LCD again, then meet up with Architecture In Helsinki, later heading across the sea with Au Revoir Simone, before coming back to the U.S. for the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks, Colorado. You can keep up with Jona's exploits on his "YACHT on Tour Forever" series by means of sound pictures, words, and sounds.
As Woody Allen might say, "The difference between sex and music is that with music you can do it alone, and no one is going to make fun of you."
YACHT tourdates:
06.11.07 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey*
06.12.07 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey*
06.13.07 - Seattle, WA - Neumos #
06.14.07 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards #
06.15.07 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom #
06.16.07 - San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's 365 Club #
06.18.07 - Pomona, CA - Glass House #
06.19.07 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre #
07.02.07 - Tokyo, Japan - O-Nest ^
07.03.07 - Yokohama, Japan - Club24 ^
07.04.07 - Nagoya, Japan - KD Japon ^
07.05.07 - Kobe, Japan - Triton Café ^
07.06.07 - Okayama, Japan - TBA ^
07.07.07 - Kyoto, Japan - Urbanguild ^
07.08.07 - Kanazawa, Japan - Socila ^
09.15.07 - Morrison, CO @ Monolith Festival / Red Rocks
The Blow tourdate:
06.08.07 - Pittsburgh, PA - Andy Warhol Museum &
* LCD Soundsystem
# Architecture In Helsinki
^ Au Revoir Simone, Montag
& Electrelane, Tender Forever
