The influences vary on many of the songs, but most of the tracks start off with a stripped-down, slower melody that eventually builds into an explosive jam. “Open Your Ears” feels like a primer for the rest of the album, but doesn’t hinge too much on the electronic backbeats of many of the other songs. “Sudan” is ambient and earthy, with a euphoric, harmonious climax.

Full Review: Here

"Listening to State Bird ’s songwriting duo Coby Hartzler and Jared Riblet talk about their respective styles in the studio is like listening to the Odd Couple’s Oscar and Felix talk about the ideal cleanliness of an apartment."

Full article: here

We also found a few new videos from their last tour. The videos were taken from a house show they played in Los Angeles.

A Voice As Old As Fire

I Saw The Light

This first featured song is a new one from Interstates entitled “Welcome Insight”.  Interstates has just released their debut album entitled Run Run. “Welcome Insight” was orignally released by Interstates on an old self - released out of print ep entitled The Arborist.

Liner Notes by Alex O’Nan:

“Welcome Insight was written during my early 20’s when I was really craving and seeking to find myself.  Interstates guitarist Kyle, only a good friend at the time, and I were meeting for lunch on a regular basis and he was being very honest about unhealthy patterns he saw in my life.  He challenged me to change and grow in many areas and at first I was hurt by his boldness and honesty, but after a few months we grew closer as friends and I began to truly enjoy those times.  The song is one of a set of six I’ve come to call “The Arborist EP”.  I call it that because of the tremendous growth I experienced in my life while I wrote them.  Each song is set to 120 beats per minute and captures my thoughts and feelings while dealing with many different topic in my early 20’s.  This is the first of those songs I’ve added live drums to.”

Enjoy the mp3 and please feel free to reblog and send to your friends. Next months mp3 will be from Cheyenne.

Interstates had a really great first tour. As you may know, they just returned from touring the South, Texas, and the Midwest with their buddies in the band Foxhole.

From the second we met they were flashing photos on their iPhones and taking tons of videos on their flip video cameras. I told them to compile everything and give us a tour documentary.

Thankfully, they have taken it to heart, and here is the first video in the series:

Video at The Monitor

State Bird executes musical feats that carry a high degree of difficulty for indie-rock bands. During Friday night’s show, the band incorporated heavy doses of funk (shimmering guitar, “Low Rider” percussion, falsetto vocals) and ended a tune with a drum circle (after bongos were surreptitiously placed next to the non-percussionist members).

Full article at Pitch.com

Coby Hartzler and Jared Riblet pen gorgeous, slightly off-kilter pop anthems that tread ground that might be familiar to fans of Pavement or Modest Mouse, but perform them like 60s love children who were raised in a thrift store.

Full Article at Westword.com

State Bird even recorded this acoustic video of I Saw The Light on a off day in New York City.

Interstates leaves for their first tour today. They well be traversing the countryside with their good friends Foxhole. Today also marks the pre-order of their debut Run Run.

Pre-order Run Run here.

Tour Dates:
May 2 @ The 930 Listening Room in Louisville, Kentucky
May 3 @ Capital Arts Theatre in Bowling Greene, Kentucky
May 4 @ One to One Studio in Jackson, Mississippi
May 5 @ Notsuoh in Houston, Texas
May 6 @ Mohawk in Austin, Texas
May 7 @ Monks in Abilene, Texas
May 8 @ The Monolith in Tulsa, Oklahoma
May 9 @ Main Street Cafe in Kansas City, Missouri

Tour Dates:

May 2 @ The 930 Listening Room in Louisville, Kentucky
May 3 @ The Anchor in Nashville, Tennessee
May 4 @ Rainbow Natural Grocery in Jackson, Mississippi
May 5 @ Notsuoh in Houston, Texas
May 6 @ Mohawk in Austin, Texas
May 7 @ Monks in Abilene, Texas
May 8 @ The Monolith in Tulsa, Oklahoma
May 9 @ Main Street Cafe in Kansas City, Missouri

Run Run Cover Art:

Tracklisting:

1. Open Your Ears
2. Sudan
3. Theme Song For The Railroad
4. Uniforms Forever
5. Water Into Wine
6. A Song Of Benediction
7. Departure
8. Hip Hop On My Mind
9. Alas
10. Dress Looks Nice

State Bird is on tour now. The reports on the shows are starting to come in.

In the hands of lesser instrumentalists or less endearing personalities, this aggressive eclectism could have been off-putting. State Bird turned it into a warmly entertaining self-contained variety show

The Pitch: Full Review

Brooklyn Rocks: Full Entry

Popmatters:

State Bird never seem to acknowledge the confinement of their studio surroundings. The fact that tape was rolling during each performance comes across as merely coincidental. That is not to imply that Mostly Ghostly has no semblance of control. It’s demonstrated with their most cohesive track, “The Golden Glowing Mask”. Here State Bird’s spiritual revivalism is quietly mystic, but at the song’s halfway point it stirs into forest-inspired gospel, complete with handclaps and drifting trumpet calls.

Full Review: Here

Pasta Primavera:

After a couple of spins of this Ohioan band, I’ve come to an understanding of what I perceive is going on throughout this album. It’s full of metaphors and parables that parallel life, it’s cruel truths, and it’s awe inspiring realizations.

Full Review: Here

click this for info ->

So now I just see a lot of cool things at work (as a train conductor) and I want to capture them and I think I would capture them regardless of if I was gonna use it for Interstates videos. There’s just a lot of neat things as you go through the countryside and see how the shadows are cast onto the ground. Beside the train you just have this huge shadow cast upon the ground.

Full Article: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Interstates has also made available “A Comprehensive History Of Interstates 1995-2005″. It is everything they have recorded prior to their debut album. It is a great introduction to the band. You can download the entire album for FREE! from www.soundtracksforroadtrips.com.

State Bird got some new press from Radio UTD

Mostly Ghostly is more cohesive than their previous album, Marching Thru The Wilderness, and has amplified both the intensity and the charm of this Ohio band. This album is very strong, as well, so don’t be surprised if you want to listen to the entire album all the way through every time.

Full Review: here

Perfect Porridge:

The frantic call and response, energetic clapping and horn charts make me want to jump on stage and rock out. Unfortunately I’m sitting in a cube with headphones on scaring my neighbors.

Full Review: Here

Jonk Music

Mostly Ghostly presents glorious, full-bodied tracks that swell with a plethora of instrumentation and gospel-like choruses.

Full Review: Here

The Record Machine is proud to welcome Interstates to the label. We are really excited to have them join our family. They are going to be releasing their debut full length in the spring. They will be on tour with Foxhole in May. There are a few rough mixes of songs on their website at www.interstatesmusic.com.

Also welcome to our new website. Enjoy!

Mostly Ghostly presents glorious, full-bodied tracks that swell with a plethora of instrumentation and gospel-like choruses.

Full Article: Here

They recently recorded 4 songs for My Old Kentucky Blog and Sirius Radio Left of Center. You can download them from here.

The press for Mostly Ghostly keeps on rolling in.

NPR.ORG Second Stage Podcast:

State Bird have matured with an experimental cohesiveness on their new record, Mostly Ghostly.

Podcast: Here

BitWorks Music:

State Bird has given us a real gem, and they leave us with this moral: “don’t go out into the woods–there are bears and wolves waiting to hurt you.”

Full Review: Here

Brooklyn Rocks

As the band uses a mix of non-traditional instruments and each of the songs seems to have some sort of musical surprise, a hypothetical point of comparison may be Devendra Banhart meets Danny Elfman.

Full Review: Here

Cleveland Free Times

In recent years, strange things have been happening in folk music. You have the commune-friendly freak-folk of Devendra Banhart, the Jesus-friendly folk of Sufjan Stevens, and the teen-friendly anti-folk of acts like Kimya Dawson (whose backhanded “hey, don’t kill yourself” approach to folk recently fell upon the ears of the 10 million-plus who’ve seen Juno). But stranger yet, if there’s an act that free-falls right into the center of this big contemporary folk blanket, it’s State Bird, and the duo (Jared Riblet and Coby Hartzler) hails from Dover, Ohio.

Full Review: Here