Ah, The Strokes... America’s great white hope to save rock ‘n’ roll. After one enthusiastic debut album and two less-fresh-but-still-committed follow-ups, the NYC quintet will return to the studio in February to begin recording their follow-up to First Impressions of Earth. In the meantime, the warm stare of the public eye is a hard thing to shake (not to mention worldwide popularity and advances from supermodels and A-list actresses), but so is not following the muse that made you begin playing music in the first place. So, it comes as no surprise that Fabrizio Moretti, like Nikolai Fraiture (Nickel Eye) and Albert Hammond Jr. (solo stuff), has taken a calming walk away from his day-to-day (since it's on hiatus) and is toying around with different kinds of musics.
Moretti is still behind the drums, but has added singing, guitars, piano, and melodica to his performing skills in Little Joy, a junkyard calypso pop project he has created with Rodrigo Amarante (singer/guitarist with Los Hermanos) and Binki Shapiro (an unknown entity to TMT but wethinks she is the steady of Moretti). The trio started their inaugural North American tour a few days ago and will continue to play throughout the continent in November and into the middle of December as they attempt to carve out their own sound and audience unrelated to and unfazed by Moretti’s high-profile regular gig. Kinda like Dogstar did.
11.07.08 - St. Paul, MN - Station 4
11.08.08 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean
11.09.08 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
11.11.08 - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock Café
11.12.08 - Philadelphia, PA - Khyber Pass
11.13.08 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
11.14.08 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s
11.15.08 - Asbury Park, NJ - Wonder Bar
11.16.08 - Cambridge, MA - TT the Bears
11.18.08 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
11.20.08 - Atlanta, GA - Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta Room)
11.21.08 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
11.22.08 - St. Louis, MI - Blueberry Hill (Duck Room)
11.24.08 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall
11.25.08 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
11.26.08 - Dallas, TX - The Lounge on Elm Street
11.28.08 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
11.29.08 - Austin, TX - The Parish
11.30.08 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom
12.02.08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
12.04.08 - Scottsdale, AZ - Martini Ranch
12.05.08 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues (5th Avenue Side Stage)
12.06.08 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
12.07.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
12.11.08 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
12.12.08 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Plaza Club
12.13.08 - Portland, OR - Berbati’s Pan
Little Joy’s self-titled debut album (TMT Review) was issued through Rough Trade on Election Day (that was November 4 for all of you still hungover with ecstatic happiness, intense sadness, or mild indifference). If you have not bought/stolen the album yet, these tantalizing song titles may sway you to do so:
1. The Next Time Around
2. Brand New Start
3. Play the Part
4. No One’s Better Sake
5. Unattainable
6. Shoulder to Shoulder
7. With Strangers
8. Keep Me in Mind
9. How to Hang a Warhol
10. Don’t Watch Me Dancing
11. Evaporar
