Postcard Club out today on cassette and digital!

The wait is over! I'm proud to announce the full-length Postcard Club compilation is complete and ready to soar to the top of the Billboard charts. The new album is available both as a free digital download and also the more popular cassette format. You can pick it up right now via Bandcamp...


Postcard Club originally began as a series of digital EPs, each loosely inspired by the images on a stack of vintage postcards. Recording the songs in small batches gave us the chance to experiment with all kinds of styles and sounds, and it turned out to be a really fun and exciting process.

I want to personally thank the dapper and talented Daniel Dominic Mancini for taking on the role of co-producer on this project. You can hear his magical touch in the many atmospheric layers that carry throughout the album. Garrett Burt, Randall Payton, Vanessa Rehder, Jess Abel and Ryan Napolitano also contributed to these songs, and they will be rewarded handsomely once the cassette goes platinum, or whatever it is cassettes do.

Thanks so much for checking out the new jams. Oh, and if you happen to be in or around Portland, the cassette release party is this Friday, January 10 at the Waypost (3120 N. Williams). Randall and Jess will be my humble stage companions, and Nate Wey of Souvenir Driver will open up the festivities. Things should get rolling around 9pm. Hope to see you there!

The Postcard Club

The Postcard Club is a series of EPs I'm working on with the dapper and talented Daniel Dominic Mancini. Each release will feature songs loosely inspired by the images on vintage postcards. We're wrapping up the first installment, "Beautiful Downtown Burbank" and should have that ready for you in February. Drop me a line at danluriemusic@gmail.com if you'd like to subscribe to the series, and I'll happily send you the download link as soon as each EP is available.

Acoustic Athens session

Well, the tour was AMAZING. Great shows, great friends, met some new pals, had plenty of good times. We'll have a full recap soon, but first I wanted to share this video the fine folks at The Post (Ohio University's student newspaper) put together for us. I used to take photos for this paper back in the day. They moved to a new building, but not much else has changed. It was fun hanging out with the next wave of budding journalists, and awesome to get such a warm welcome back to Athens.

Enjoy! We've got more videos and photos from the road coming your way shortly...

Tour dates are set!

UPDATE: Just added a second Athens show Saturday Sept. 24 at Donkey Coffee. See updated tour dates below...

The Freshman Orientation Tour is almost upon us. It's not quite a world tour, but it's gonna be a blast. Special thanks go out to our dear friends who helped us book these shows. Come on out and see us if you're in the neighborhood, and help us spread the word.

Sunday Sept. 18 - Columbus, OH @ Used Kids Records - w/ Kyle Sowash 3:30pm

Wednesday Sept. 21 - Franklin, TN @ The Bunganut Pig - w/ Michelle Hemmer 7pm

Friday Sept. 23 - Athens, OH @ ACRN House Party - w/ Kyle Sowash and Emily & The Complexes 10pm (email daniellurie@hotmail.com for address)

Saturday Sept. 24 - Athens, OH @ Donkey Coffee - w/ The Wayfarers and Jake Loew 9pm (we play first, right at 9)

The reviews are in!

Just one of several writers to weigh in with positive thoughts on Spirit of '98

It's been just about a month since Spirit of '98 dropped and the response has been incredible. I can't even begin to thank you all individually. All I can say is this album was a very personal project for me, and the warm reception really means a lot. I think the best part has been hearing from people who are finding their own memories in these songs. This album is certainly about a very specific period in time - the college years - and it's been great connecting with folks who had experiences similar to mine.

That includes a handful of writers kind enough to review the album. The writeups have been great, both locally and internationally, and I'm excited to share them with you on a new page we're calling REVIEWS. Check it out, and thanks again for all the support!

In other news, Seattle, we're coming to you March 4. See you at the Skylark for a special performance with The Beautiful Sunsets.

Album Release Party Saturday January 29 at Mississippi Pizza!

It'll look something like this.

Spirit of '98 drops this week! (The official release date is Tuesday 1/18, but... hint hint, you can head over to danlurie.bandcamp.com RIGHT NOW and download it for free!) As for the album release party, you'll have the chance to hear these songs live Saturday January 29 at Mississippi Pizza in Portland. I'll be joined by Vanessa Rehder on keys and backing vocals, and local act Class M Planets will kick things off. Pizza, beer and booze will also be on hand, and everyone in attendance will receive a free copy of Spirit of '98. It's all happening folks.

Please note that this is an early show that starts at 8pm sharp and will be over by 9:30. So be sure to show up early. We look forward to seeing you and yours there!

Dan Lurie - Spirit of '98 Album Release Party
w/ Class M Planets
Saturday January 29, 8pm (early show), FREE
Mississippi Pizza (3552 North Mississippi Ave)

Behind the Music: One Week Relationships

The first thing you learn in college is freshman girls aren't seriously interested in you. They might pretend to be, for a brief moment in time, but in reality they have an entire campusful of young fellows to choose from. If you expect any of these ladies to stick around for more than a week, it takes a rare combination of charisma and perfectly gelled hair.

This complicated song and dance routine is the subject of our latest installment of Behind the Music. Today's featured track is called, appropriately, One Week Relationships. Take a listen:

One Week Relationships by Dan Lurie

Well, the message in this song is pretty clear I think: One week relationships are fun until the week is up. And once the week is up you go back to your room and listen to sad Elliott Smith albums. It's part of the circle of life.

Notable players on this track include Vanessa Rehder handling the backing vocals and mini organ, and Daniel Dominic Mancini laying down the junk percussion. I'd also like to give special thanks to the whammy bar.

Reminder: Spirit of '98 (my solo album about Athens, OH) will be available right here January 18, 2011. Thanks for listening!

Behind the Music: Chicken Sandwiches (Spring Break in Athens, OH)

OK folks,

Here's the first installment of a little series we're calling "Behind the Music." Pretty cool name, huh? I'm surprised no one else is using it. Anyhoooo, this is where I sit back in my easy chair and tell you exactly what was going through my head when I wrote a song. I'll be doing quite a few of these leading up to the January 18 release of Spirit of '98.

First up on our list is Chicken Sandwiches (Spring Break in Athens, OH). Press this here play button and then continue reading as I expound upon its majesty...

Chicken Sandwiches (Spring Break in Athens, OH)

As you probably know by now, this entire album is about my experiences going to college in Athens, OH. This particular song is inspired by a spring break I spent in Athens, which basically turns into a ghost town during the break because everyone is down in Florida or South Padre Island hanging out with MTV and Wyclef Jean.

I believe the year was, in fact, 1998. Me and my roomie Dominic Aulisio (of Solyoni fame) decided to stay in town and make some money over the break by working full time at Alden Library (in the dark and mysterious General Stacks). Big mistake. We went stir crazy and continually left our posts to go eat chicken sandwiches at Burger King. They were only $1 and we were (still are) poor.

Here's a list of some other things we did that week:

1. Worked out and played 1-on-1 basketball at Ping Center
2. Drank from a keg on Brad Goodman's rooftop (purchased from Frank's Bait Shop)
   
3. Watched cable TV
4. Skated with townie friends
5. Flirted with Judy Palmer
6. Listened to a lot of Elliott Smith
   
7. Ate more chicken sandwiches at Burger King

Quite a few items from the above list make their way into the song. It's basically a joyous romp about wasting away the days and nights in an empty college town.

I have to give props to Aaron Semer for helping me out on this song. Aaron (who also went to Ohio U, and is a member of Solyoni) handles the drums, lead guitar, and bass duties on this track. Definitely the first guy I turn to when I need to pump out a song in under three hours. We had a good time recording this one at the Oregon Portland Cement Co. in industrial SE Portland. Hope you enjoy it!

Spirit of '98 set for winter quarter release

It's almost time kids! My solo album Spirit of '98 is complete, and now we have an official release date: January 18. Yep, winter quarter. The album will be available as a digital download at http://danlurie.bandcamp.com. I'm also working on a limited-edition cassette version, as well as other collectible offerings.

This project means a great deal to me. Spirit of '98 is my first solo album (though I certainly got some help from my friends). All of the tunes are inspired by my years in Athens, OH, where I attended Ohio University from 1995-2000. It was a glorious time, and now the wondrous memories are captured in song.

I'll have a lot more to say about the album in the coming weeks as we lead up to the official release. But for now, please enjoy these FREE preview tracks already available at http://danlurie.bandcamp.com, and help me spread the word. Thanks!