boh heavy

OK, so there's been a lot of talk about Band Of Horses here lately... but Ben Bridwell seems to be attracting a lot of attention these days. And sadly not in a good way.

via Pitchfork (there are lots of links in the article on their site if you're not hip to the latest BoH goings-on):

Call Band of Horses what you will: totally awesome, meanies, sellouts... Wait, sellouts? When did this happen? Do we have a link for that?

Er, yeah, unfortunately. Seems the Band has licensed a song apiece to a forthcoming Ford commercial and a really tacky Wal-Mart website-- the latter of which suggests some link between cheap warez and existential satisfaction.

Though the marriage of cool tunes and uncool companies is hardly news, any whiff of indie rockers making nice with corporate interests tends to raise a bit of stink among purists. So we asked Band of Horses main man Ben Bridwell if he'd like to comment on the thinking behind the band's decision to lend their music to Wal-Mart and Ford.

He responded with the following statement,

"Dear friends,

"As you may have heard, there's been some recent discussion of a couple of licenses for BoH songs. Just to provide some clarification...

"I did allow Wal-Mart to use a song for a new website they created and have also given permission to Ford Motor Company to license a song from our new album. Because some people see Wal-Mart as a huge, evil corporation, they seem to be especially bummed about this license and see us as posers and/or corporate whores as a result.

"I'd like to just state for the record that we let all kinds of folks use our songs in all kinds of mediums - TV, films, school projects, etc... My personal stance is that once that music is recorded and released to the world then I don't really care where it goes. "The Funeral" has been licensed to death (ha, wretch) at this point and if somebody wants to throw down some duckets for it, then feel free. It also beats the hell out of stealing batteries from Wal-Mart to sell them back for 8 bucks.

"As for Ford: I drive a 1986 F-150 that still runs great. Maybe I'll get the a/c fixed with the cash they kicked down. I'm also stoked that people will hear our song on TV and we might pick up some new listeners in the process. I see no negative.

"That's our reasoning and I'm okay with it. I hope fans of the band are, too.

"We promise to use the money to buy camcorders (at Wal-Mart) for people to film "The Funeral," so I can get mad and crap my diaper. Fuck it.

-bb"

Dub these Horses sellouts if you wanna (we report, you decide, etc.): Just don't call 'em slackers. Having wrapped a short run of late summer dates last night in Portland, the band has just announced their fall plans, which include a stampede throughout North America in October and November. Hey, kinda like how they made that one album, then cranked out another one real quick-like!

And about that album they cranked out: it's pretty good! You can find it at stores much less depressing than Wal-Mart October 9, thanks to Sub Pop. Preordering the disc directly from Band of Horses' site will not only get you a fine rock'n'roll record, but a handsome Band of Horses beer koozie to boot!

Also in the works of the Band: hanging with friends and going to the record store.

Band of Horses:

10-14 Atlanta, GA - Park Tavern
10-20 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom (Sub Pop/Hardly Art CMJ showcase) *
10-30 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom
11-01 Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
11-02 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
11-03 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
11-04 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11-06 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
11-07 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street
11-08 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
11-09 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
11-10 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom
11-11 Chicago, IL - Metro
11-12 Chicago, IL - Metro
11-14 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
11-15 Fargo, ND - Aquarium (Dempsey's Upstairs)
11-17 Bozeman, MT - Filling Station
11-18 Boise, ID - Neurolux/Crazy
11-19 Seattle, WA - Showbox
11-20 Seattle, WA - Showbox
11-21 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-24 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
11-25 Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
11-26 Pomona, CA - Glass House

* with Le Loup, Foals, the Brunettes

Seriously, no Colorado? WTF? That Bozeman show looks tasty... If they don't add more shows and if I can get someone to drive with me I might actually consider that.

As for selling out... hey, I'm all for bands I love making some money. That Band Of Horses is getting money from Wal-Mart... well, that is a little sad, but whatever. Besides...

"We promise to use the money to buy camcorders (at Wal-Mart) for people to film "The Funeral," so I can get mad and crap my diaper. Fuck it.

That there is funny shit. Rock on, Ben, rock on.