Seattle’s Fences bring melancholic folk-pop
Elektra recording artist Fences has unveiled their latest single “Sunburns.” The song – produced by Chris Walla, co-founder and former guitarist/songwriter for Death Cab For Cutie – is featured on the Seattle-based band’s label debut “Lesser Oceans.”
To coincide with the release of “LESSER OCEANS,” Fences will begin a cross-country trek as main support for The Mowglis beginning March 25th at The Independent in San Francisco. The tour includes stops at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom (April 16th), Nashville’s Mercy Lounge (April 21st), and Austin’s The Parish (May 1st) before it’s Los Angeles finale at the Regent Theatre (May 8th). Following the tour, the band will immediately head to Atlanta for the Shaky Knees Music Festival during the weekend of May 8th-10th (see attached itinerary). Additional festival performances will be announced shortly.
“LESSER OCEANS” sees Fences singer/songwriter Christopher Mansfield mastering his distinctive brand of melancholic folk-pop and bittersweet slacker anthems, and features production from such studio luminaries as Jacquire King (Of Monsters and Men, Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse) and Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, The Lonely Forest) who helmed the album’s single “Sunburns.” A collaboration with longtime Seattle friends Macklemore and Ryan Lewis yielded the album track “Arrows,” which garnered national television appearances on NBC’s The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the nationally syndicated Ellen DeGeneres Show last fall. A recent 2 page spread in NYLON Guys enthused, “Lesser Oceans expands on the indie-folk sound Fences’ debut, adding a shimmery Death Cab for Cutie-esque layer to the melodies.”
The idea of Fences first got underway in Boston, a time Mansfield spent studying at Berklee College of Music while also perfecting his haunting songcraft. After relocating to the Pacific Northwest, he self-released his first Fences recordings as the now exceedingly rare “ULTIMATE PUKE EP.” Sara Quin of Tegan & Sara subsequently discovered Mansfield’s music and co-produced his self-titled full length debut, which was greeted with unanimous critical applause upon its 2010 release, including SPIN naming it among its “10 Best Albums You Might Have Missed This Year.” Fences has toured alongside such like-minded artists as Tegan & Sara, Against Me!, Hellogoodbye, and more recently with Macklemore, Andrew McMahon, and Bear Hands. Additionally, they’ve performed standout sets at major festivals including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Outside Lands.
FENCES
Tour Dates – Spring 2015
MARCH
25 San Francisco, CA The Independent
27 Portland, OR Wonderland Ballroom
28 Seattle, WA The Crocodile
29 Vancouver, Canada Media Club
31 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court Gallery
APRIL
02 Kansas City, MO The Midland
03 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theatre
04 Chicago, IL Metro
06 St. Louis, MO The Ready Room
07 Columbus, OH The A&R Music Bar
08 Indianapolis, IN Deluxe @ Old National Center
09 Detroit, MI The Shelter
10 Toronto, Canada The Garrison
11 Montreal, QC La Vitrola
14 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club
15 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
16 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
17 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
18 Washington, D.C. U Street Music Hall
21 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
23 Tallahassee, FL Florida State University Club Down Under
24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
25 Orlando, FL The Social
26 Jacksonville, FL Jack Rabbits
30 Dallas, TX House of Blues- Cambridge Room
MAY
01 Austin, TX The Parish
02 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
05 Phoenix, AZ Crescent Ballroom
07 San Diego, CA Casbah
08 Los Angeles, CA The Regent Theatre
08-10 Atlanta, GA Shaky Knees Music Festival
