Ballin' on a Budget Tour 2010

Hey y'all!

We, your humble Dreamgoatz would like to thank everyone who supported us, listened to our music or let us crash on your floor in the last 6 months of our live performances. For now, we will be taking about a month-long sabbatical to recharge our batteries, upgrade our gear, and swag out our stage show.

Here's an exhaustive date list from our BALLIN ON A BUDGET TOUR 20!0 - note that some dates have links to some wonderful photos, videos, reviews and misc. slizz:

6-21: Isabella Point, Albany, CA (w/ Dum Spiro Spero)

6-22: Jose's Lounge Underground, Monterey, CA - REVIEW: http://www.examiner.com/concerts-in-monterey/local-music-from-all-over-the-united-states-right-here-monterey

6-23: Red Rock Cafe, Mountain View, CA (w/ Montucky)

6-27: The Compound, Los Angeles, CA (w/ Future Islands and Treasure MammaL) - PHOTOS N' SLIZZ: http://www.peterspoolboys.com/ppbshows/06272010-future-islands/

6-28: The Tribal Cafe, Los Angeles, CA (w/ The Real Noriegas and Nicole Kidman)

6-29: Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, CA

7-3: Bucky's Cocktail Lounge, San Mateo, CA (w/ Montucky)

7-22: Apple Jack's, La Honda, CA (w/ Flintheart)

7-24: Unity Music, Santa Rosa, CA (w/ Teenage Sweater, Foxxy Newport)

7-29: Tomasini's Enoteca, Crescent City, CA (w/ Benjamin Wolfe)

7-30: Coffee House Cafe, Salem, OR (w/ Shark Sandwich) - VIDEO: http://vimeo.com/13777819

7-31: The Space, Salem, OR (w/ Thog)

8-7: Wildwood Days, Rio Dell, CA (w/ Shark Sandwich)

8-10: Lil Red Lion, Eureka, CA (w/ Lazer Zeppelin, others.)

8-19: Apple Jack's, La Honda, CA

8-23: The Barn, Fortuna, CA (w/ Nicole Kidman) - REVIEW: http://natethegreatboygenius.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/confessions-of-a-dreamgoatz-groupie/

8-28: Quincy Barn, Quincy, CA

9-3: The Barn, Fortuna, CA (w/ Teenage Sweater)

9-18: Chateau de Teighbore, Moss Beach, CA

9-28: HSU QUAD- Arcata, CA

10-9: Blondie's, Arcata, CA

10-28: Monica's House, Eureka, CA (w/ Essay and Danny Blues)

11-14: Lil Red Lion, Eureka, CA (w/ Man Your Horse, Boogie Monster, Fabulous Diamonds and Pigeons)

11-19: Hoyt Hall, Berkeley, CA (w/ David Jaberi, Adam Lipman and Psychic Handbook)

11-22: Pehrspace, Los Angeles, CA (w/ Lingonberries, Luna is Honey, Halloween Swim Team and Religious Girls) - PHOTOS: http://www.seancarnage.com/photos/?album=112210HalloweenSwimTeamDreamgoatzReligiousGirlsLunaIsHoneyTheLingonberries

11-24: Apple Jack's, La Honda, CA (4-hour spectacle!)

11-30: HSU QUAD, Arcata, CA - REVIEW: http://www.walkingtomexico.com/2010/11/nov-30-arcata-ca/

12-3: Osprey Magazine Release Show, Blondie's, Arcata, CA (w/ some shitty college DJs)

12-11: The Old Princeton Landing, Princeton, CA. (w/ Flintheart and Shuteye Unison)

12-25: Planet of the Dinosaurs EP Release - DOWNLOAD: www.dreamgoatz.bandcamp.com

Review of the Dreamgoatz’ “Planet of the Dinosaurs” EP

Review of the Dreamgoatz’ “Planet of the Dinosaurs” EP

By Nick Vitale, Esq.

For the past four years or so, while the rest of the country has despondently beheld the rapid erosion of the hollow phantasm known as the American Dream, the Dreamgoatz have been quietly building a universe of their own. And oh, what a surreal, esoteric universe it is; replete with wheezing whales, ectoplasmic tomfoolery, and whimsical, rhyming song titles like “braingle spraingle in da bathtub taft”. Meanwhile, the music itself—a hodgepodge of tape hiss, fuzzy synths, bouncy beats and left-field samples—has gradually evolved from the loose, ambient psychedelia of their debut “Soundpets” into the confident, tightly-structured pop songs which populate 2010’s masterpiece LP “Metaphorests and Economixes.”

Now, with nary a pause (except perhaps to take a few rips from a nearby bong) Backwoods Baglady, Knot They’re, Jah Bork and eeeeee return just in time for Christmas to drop (like some demented junk pop Santa Claus) their latest gift to mankind: the “Planet of the Dinosaurs” EP. One might be tempted to assume that this mysterious Dinosaur Planet referenced herein represents yet another one of the Goatz’ impenetrably esoteric motifs, but a discerning look at the EP’s cover art will reveal it’s true meaning. The “Dinosaurs” it depicts are not the scaly, reptilian beasts of eons past but a rather different (and arguably more sinister) type of Dinosaur: old, ugly, and desperately confused white men. They are the oh-so-numerous Dinosaurs whom creative, thoughtful people must contend with, who allowed Prop 19 to tragically fail in the Dreamgoatz’ native California, and who now prevent those such as the Dreamgoatz from rightfully commanding the attention of the listening public. Thus, the “Planet of the Dinosaurs” is in fact our own planet, which the ambitious young Goatz hope to simultaneously conquer and enlighten with their inimitably quirky electro-pop.

While it’s doubtful that the “Dinosaurs” will yet be won over by the Dreamgoatz’ playful vision, this EP is perhaps the band’s most accessible offering to date. Channeling their sonic manipulations and psychedelic tendencies into focused, layered, and increasingly dance-able tunes, the Goatz are pushing their newly-perfected pop sensibility further than ever. That being said, you won’t mistake this music for the trite, one-dimensional bullshit you hear on the radio (or on MTV, if MTV still played music). The Dreamgoatz are still masters of the aurally eccentric, always making something out of nothing, mashing together seemingly random sounds, samples, and other musical oddities but always finding a way to make it work. Observe how the opening track, the dub/dream pop concoction “i want u 2 know (con chile y limon)”, weaves between a call-and-response chorus (supplied by Knot They’re and Jah Bork) to stream-of-consciousness rapping, a sudden uptempo dance-breakdown, and finally back again. The song then seamlessly transforms into an even more eminently dance-able track, “the bed i made.” Here, Jah Bork’s melodic musings about the boredom and frustration of post-collegiate life (first sung, then later rapped) are juxtaposed with Backwoods Baglady’s frenetic audio manipulations, which include even samples of Bork’s vocals themselves. It is as if the song is somehow working against itself, struggling for a consistent identity amongst its multifarious elements. And yet the overall effect is as entertaining as it is intoxicating—like any good musical composition, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

From there the pattern continues with the even more playful “slouch grouch”, which again samples and re-mixes its own chorus, jumping from glitch-hop sequence to the next and toying with the mix throughout. More than ever before, the Dreamgoatz are rocking the big beats, but in a manner that is neither stupidly crude nor pretentiously ironic, just genuinely fun. The EP reaches its apex with “suck-suckin’ da spleen ween” (see? Aren’t these alliterating song titles delightful?), in which Backwoods Baglady’s surreal lyrics are subdued under layers of fuzzy, obnoxiously-fun techno-synths. After three and a half intense minutes, the song transitions effortlessly into an extended, remixed version of “dreamland (dithyramb)” (from the “Metaphorests” album), transforming a brief, quirky little song into a six-minute all-out dance session.

It’s a rather fitting ending to “Planet of the Dinosaurs”, which finds the Dreamgoatz even more confident and extroverted then they were 6 months ago when they released that album. This is a Dreamgoatz that is now used to touring, a band whose sound has evolved from the soundscaping curiosities of a few California oddballs into the focused work of some formidable professionals. One wonders where they’ll take this bold, dance-pop sensibility next. The Dinosaurs of our planet are rapidly going extinct, but the future belongs to the Dreamgoatz…

Download "Planet of the Dinosaurs" for free at www.dreamgoatz.bandcamp.com !