When TV on the Radio announced their April 2 show at the Observatory North Park (North Park Theatre at the time), it was just close enough to April 1 that some of us thought, “Nice April Fool’s joke, dudes.” But lo and behold, the show was in fact legit and sold out nearly instantaneously. For those that weren’t smart, quick or wealthy enough to snatch tickets to the show, luckily the group just announced they’ll be playing a free, acoustic in-store session at M-Theory Records in Mission Hills at 6 p.m. that same day.
The band, which returned in late-2014 from a three-year hiatus, released their fifth studio album in November titled "Seeds," and as we hoped, it picked up right where the indie rock experimentations of 2011’s "Nine Types of Light" left off. But right before that record dropped, they gave us a little taste of the musical goodness to come with the singles "Mercy" and "Million Miles" – which coincidentally featured one of San Diego’s finest drummers: Jake Najor. [Read the SoundDiego interview with him here]
Najor (who also plays in several San Diego bands such as Birdy Bardot, Erik Canzona & the Narrows and Taurus Authority, among others) struck up a solid friendship/working relationship with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek, who runs and records artists for his own Federal Prism record label in Los Angeles.
"I’ve done bits and stuff for some of his artists. We did the latest Kelis album [2014’s ‘Food’] and a few other things. We talk every once in a while but, you know, he’s been really busy lately."
Busy, indeed. Besides wrapping up the new album, the band has been on a national tour lately that’ll see them on the road through July. Last November, when they performed sessions for NPR’s World Café and KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic [watch here], Najor sat in as their drummer – which begs the question: Are they going to hit him up for either of their San Diego performances?
"I don’t think so," Najor said. "But I’ll be going to both shows, so you never know. Every time I’ve seen them, they’ve played a full bore rock show. So it’ll be cool to see them in a really stripped down setting at the in-store. Hopefully we’ll be able to hang out while they’re here but it just depends on their schedule."
And if they’re able to, he’s already got a spot in mind they should check out.
"I might take ‘em to Colima’s – you know, get them some real Mexican food."
TV on the Radio headline the Observatory North Park on April 2 (sold out), and will play an acoustic in-store session at M-Theory Records in Mission Hills the same day at 6 p.m. The in-store is free. Purchase a copy of their new album, “Seeds,” at M-Theory to receive a wristband for guaranteed entry.
Dustin Lothspeich plays in Old Tiger, Diamond Lakes and Boy King. Follow his updates on Twitter or contact him directly.
