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David J and The Gentleman Thieves To Release “Gentrification Blues” 7″ Split Single with Darwin B-side Via Starry Records on April 22nd
“A cure for urban blight at the cost of soul and it’s such a sorry sight and the death knell tolls for me and you.” — lyrics from “Gentrification Blues”
David J and The Gentleman Thieves will release their debut single “Gentrification Blues” via Starry Records on April 22nd. The protest song calls out the soul-sucking influx of corporate affluence into urban neighborhoods, which are often the lifeblood of artistic communities. The split single, which includes the haunting, ethereal track “Horrible Cocoon” by Darwin as the b-side, features appropriately unflattering, Donald Trump-themed cover art by legendary satirical street poster artist Robbie Conal. Both tracks were produced by the artists themselves along with noted producers Brian Liesegang (NIN, Filter, Billy Corgan) and Kerry Brown (Smashing Pumpkins, Ziggy Marley).
“‘Gentrification Blues’ is a new track that addresses the downside of avaricious gentrification. A Damoclean sword that looms over present day Bohemia,” explains David J. “It has already fallen in New York City, San Francisco, Paris, London and beyond, decimating artistic communities which simply cannot afford to survive let alone thrive as in former golden days.
“When David J wrote this great tune, ‘Gentrification Blues,’ and asked me to collaborate on designing the cover art, I instantly agreed, says Conal. “I’m definitely feeling that! Cathartically speaking, collaborating with David on this project was a natural blast.”
“I grew up in New York — Manhattan, to be precise,” Conal elaborates. “Lately whenever I go back, it’s all giant cranes and empty glass skyscrapers everywhere, with older buildings now reduced to rubble in gigantic dusty pits. They seem to scream ‘down with funk, up with giant corporate greed.’ (Check out the demon in the dark clouds above the wreckage in our artwork.) Ditto L.A., San Francisco, London, and all over the world for that matter. We can’t just sit around and watch. We gotta do what we can. Here’s a little taste of that.”
The five-man band will play a record release show at El Cid in Los Angeles on April 28th. They hit Levitation in Austin, TX on April 30th. The Thieves’ current set features new material as well as songs that span David’s entire career, including many reclaimed and revamped Love and Rockets gems and a few select Bauhaus classics.
lyrics
The past is a live grenade
We laugh to forget the pain
Our paths forever chained together
We face the future or the past
A straight line or it's a lap
We cling, forever falling together
Aimlessly, searching through
Wrapped up in a horrible cocoon
We live far below the stars
We reach far above our scars
Concede, forever falling
Aimlessly, searching through
Wrapped up in a horrible cocoon
Tears of change run like honey
Smells like rain
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