FOREIGN BORN

2010-05-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

Come See Foreign Born Play Like Never Before! Friday, May 21st

Buy your tickets here. Presale only. Limited tickets available.

2010-04-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Come see FB on Sunday May 23rd @ 8pm!!

2010-01-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Behold!

2009-12-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

FB TOUR DATES!! with Free Energy

Fri 12/18/09 Los Angeles CA Spaceland (w/ Best Coast, El Sportivo and the Blooz)

Wed 02/24/10 San Francisco CA The Rickshaw Stop (Noisepop)
Fri 02/26/10 Portland OR Mississippi Studios
Sun 02/28/10 Seattle WA Chop Suey
Wed 03/03/10 Minneapolis MN 7th Street Entry
Thu 03/04/10 Madison WI Frequency
Fri 03/05/10 Chicago IL The Empty Bottle
Sat 03/06/10 Bloomington IN The Bishop
Mon 03/08/10 Cleveland OH Beachland Tavern
Tue 03/09/10 Toronto ON El Mocambo
Wed 03/10/10 Buffalo NY Big Orbit's Soundlab
Thu 03/11/10 New York NY Mercury Lounge
Fri 03/12/10 Brooklyn NY Knitting Factory
Sat 03/13/10 Philadelphia PA Marathon
Sun 03/14/10 Washington DC DC9

Fri 03/26/10 Los Angeles CA The Echo

2009-11-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't seen this. We can't stop watching it!!

2009-09-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Behold! Our video shoot for "Early Warnings" shot on the Buffalo-infested island of Catalina early this Summer. The video is nearly done, but here are some candid snapshots to tide us all over..

Our first encounter with the buffalo. Acting!

taking a moment..

Yes I actually am a licensed pilot.

The intrepid director, Matthew Lessner and camera-magician Wyatt Garfield.

Not licensed to drive this thing..

The Al Pacino of our generation.

Soaking up the local color. Matthew and Wyatt talking strategy with Ariel.

2009-07-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

FB smoking out Seattle!

2009-07-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

FB in Seattle! This guy asked if any of us passers by could play the guitar.. he had no idea who he was talking to!

2009-06-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

"PERSON TO PERSON" OUT TODAY!!!

If you're in LA, come to our RECORD RELEASE PARTY!! @

VACATION VINYL 4679 Hollywood Blvd (just east of Vermont)

tonight 6pm - 9pm. FREE. FREE BEER!! FREE 7"s! New Albums!

and a scorching live set by us! you know.. FB.

2009-06-08T00:20:00.000-07:00

2009-05-16T00:35:00.000-07:00

FB will be embarking on a short Northwest adventure next week:

5/22 @ The Independent w/ BLK JKS San Francisco
5/24 @ Alladin Theater w/ GRIZZLY BEAR Portland, OR
5/25 @ Chop Suey Seattle, WA
5/26 @ Commodore w/ GRIZZLY BEAR Vancouver, BC

2009-04-27T14:40:00.001-07:00

Sweden meets LA!

2009-04-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Check out the cover for the GLASSER EP, out in May on True Panther Sounds!

http://gorillavsbear.blogspot.com/2009/04/glasser.html

2009-03-24T15:21:00.000-07:00

whoah

Neil Young - Cough Up The Bucks

2009-03-14T10:33:00.000-07:00

Check this out! a great live video from our friend and fellow Los Angeles native
JOHN WEBSTER JOHNS.

2009-03-11T17:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all those who came out last night! We hadn't played in quite a while, but emerged from the dark tundra in greater numbers. How about all those people on stage, huh?! Foreign Born's turning new pages on a daily basis. There's just pages everywhere.
Our next mission is to Austin TX for you know what. We'll be there, drinking just to keep our eyes open, flailing around like a bunch of apes. Hope to see you there, whoever is reading this.

2009-03-05T23:35:00.001-08:00

::OMG! WTF!::::
we finally finished our new album 'PERSON TO PERSON'!!!!!! although it officially comes out June 23rd on Secretly Canadian, you can listen to 'Vacationing People' here and read some of Ed's kind words here in the mean time...

we'll also be playing all new songs, LIVE this Tuesday, March 10th at the Echo here in LA!

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this heavily featured tambourine was generously leant to us by our pal orpheo via cairo, egypt.

ariel at home in the sunset lodge.

the 8-track tape machine.

matty!

fbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfbfb

2008-08-09T15:36:00.001-07:00

we couldn't think of a better way to spend our summer than holed-up at the sunset lodge studio, watching the games of the XXIX Olympiad while finishing our album.

2008-06-30T23:24:00.000-07:00

There's some deep shit going on over here.

2008-06-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

A week ago, Ariel (featured here) charged through the night, laying down bass lick after bass lick. Who knows what time it is in this picture!

We've been keeping a running record of our achievements. Ariel is represented by the stars of David.

Just got back from a week off where we played a Fool's Gold show

and organized the bass and drum tracks.

2008-06-21T17:30:00.000-07:00

"In the Studio" A BAND IN PROFILE:

Lewis Pesacov, mid-muse, in the seat of power.

Big Search, deep in the night.

Garret Ray, blew a fuse at some point. hasn't moved a muscle in days.

Though we've all lived among them for over a week now, Ariel seems to have some sort of psychic connection to the roto toms..

2008-06-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

The recording of our next album "Person to Person" has commenced!! This past weekend we dug in at New King Sound Studios in the Hollywood hills to gather vibes and swim in the jacuzzi..

The jams are being translated by this thing.. last used by the lead singer of a little band called "Megapuss".

and we're using these.. a lot. (recently purchased at the Rose Bowl Flea Market!)

2008-06-04T01:32:00.000-07:00

::: 'you gotta move'
we, FB are totally excited to announce that we've officially gone into business with Secretly Canadian! we feel quite lucky to be part of such a dynamic roster of acts and are very much looking forward to our next release, which we've just began to shape:

'Person to Person'
tentative titles in no particular order:

-are you worried now?
-betrayal at the market place
-blood oranges
-can't keep time
-early warnings
-flyer's fall
-keep it in mind
-lion's share
-lookin' for a pad
-lost coming down
-old news
-palace in the wind
-put a lid on your lies
-see us home
-that old sun
-things we'll never be
-wait in this chair
-wander aimlessly
-winter games
-wrong way
-uncertain kind
-vacationing people

2008-06-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

r.i.p. bo!

2008-05-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

'lover, lover, lover' by l. cohen filmed in some hotel in austin texas.

2008-05-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

as we near completion of the writing stage for 'person to person' we decided to put our money where our mouths are and unveil some of the new ones live for the first time at the Neighborhood Nursery School Benefit alongside the beautiful Silverlake reservoir- needless to say the children were totally enthralled...

2008-04-26T14:27:00.001-07:00

::: 'loser at the top of his game'
we all went out last night to catch the mudcrutch show at the troubadour to do a little research on what MP is gonna be like in about 30 years...and i gotta say, shit's looking up! through veils of reefage petty's singing never sounded better, not to mention how he killed it on the hofner club bass. campbell reinvented the b-bender for me, benmont tench hit the sweet spots on the b-3 like no one my age can! oh yeah, those other old dudes were tight too! their new tune 'scare easy' could be the best 'single' i've heard in years (does the chorus remind you of a neil young tune?)...

2008-04-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

"From Boston to Austin: a Photographic Journey"

Well, we've come out the other side of the rabbit hole, other wise known as our "Two Weeks Across America Tour" with St. Vincent, and then some. Much thanks to the St. Vincent crew for the open arms and "champaign campaigns" that raged across the mid-west and northeast. Unfortunately we do not have much photographic evidence that we ever went out on this tour, as, along with any warm articles of clothing, we forgot our cameras upon departure! But I did happen to purchase a new gadget, known as a "disposable digital camera" (what kind of science fiction, year 3,000 bullshit is this?!) at a pharmacy in Virginia. I used this camera to document the week it took Lewis and I to travel to Austin, Texas to meet up with the rest of the band for "you know what" in mid-March.
Much thanks to the Stax Museum, in Memphis, TN, for sending the camera back to me
after I forgot it there!

Our fist stop was in Charlottesville, Virgina with our old college buddy and certified luminary David Baker Benson and his family. With no day off for the boys in FB, we proceeded to be inducted into DBB's band for two nights in a row of open mic performances. We played the material from D.B.B.'s new album in progress, "Cups". The band title? "D.B.B. Plays Cups"! This confused a few open mic hosts when reading from the short list of obscure performers... Also, I must admit that the rhythm section had just emerged from a cloud of weed smoke which had plumed in hiding from a fleet of bicycle police patrolling the campus of U.V.A., on the prowl for delinquents, which
on this night, were we. This was the 2nd night of our 2 night local tour. The 1st night (played to an audience of 4 random and indifferent souls) remains un-captured and legendary.

This is me on our 1st attempt to visit the Stax Museum in Memphis. Memphis is a strange and wildly depressing city, but full of rock history that drew us to its bosom. The museum was closed the day after a huge snow storm shook the state silly, but they forgot to tell FB!

This is me at SUN Studios in Memphis with "The King's" original microphone! nuff said..

Lew and I reminiscing about what could have been had we been of age in the late
50's.

Lew in the backyard of Graceland, listening to the guided tour.. "Elvis this.." "Elvis that.." It was awesome.

There were wells of tears behind those shades..

Ok, well that's all that's fit to print from my not so great disposable camera.
I unfortunately left it at the Stax Museum when we went there the following day and did not catalogue our time at "the crossroads" (where we made certain "transactions" with "someone"... which turned out to be the cashier at the quickie mart that's there now) or our time in New Orleans which was a filthy orgy of street-drinking and 311 fan dodging! As fate would have it, we were there during the same week 311 was holding it's annual concert on March 11th (3/11)! It was only march 9th and there were mobs in the street with dyed green dread locks blasting their tracks! I didn't even know they were still a band.. yet every bathroom line held a debate about the band's possible set list, or "what's your dream set list?" very surreal, especially after drinking the unearthly local drinks with titles like "hurricane" and "grenade".
Anyway, maybe its better we had no camera. We probably looked awful. Props to the Voodoo Museum!

As for being back in LA, we are hard at work developing schemes for the next album, which we'll start recording in May, playing a show with comedians at the Troubadour and working on our various other projects. Lewis and Luke Top are in the studio as we speak putting down horn arrangements and percussion on the FOOL's GOLD recordings. There is a 7" in the works for FG, and a show with The ENTRANCE BAND at the end of the month @ the ECHO. I am playing some BIG SEARCH shows at the end of the month with PETER MOREN, and also with the new band GLASSER led by Cameron Mesirow.

Hope all is well.

mp

2008-02-26T15:08:00.001-08:00

2008-02-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

did you see the total lunar eclipse on feb. 20th? we had the ideal vantage point whilst driving through western wyoming from seattle to minneapolis. we were on a vastly empty, snowy and lonesome highway when the night sky went completely dark. it was like a combination of these:

2008-02-04T12:21:00.001-08:00

vote for FOREIGN BORN for 'Artist of the Month' on the deli magazine blog!!

VOTE HERE!

but more importantly...

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Obama is within 2 points of
Senator Hillary Clinton in California in the latest independent Field
Poll. He has won the endorsements of Senators Kerry and Kennedy, labor
unions, environmentalist groups and many others. This election is the
turning point for our generation. Obama is our best chance for
stopping the war and solving the problems that began 8 years ago.

And he can win in California, just like he won in Iowa, when nobody
thought he could. But he can only win if we get out there and vote.

So please, repost this message and tell everyone you know to get out
there and vote for him on Tuesday.

Obama for President!

2008-02-01T13:18:00.001-08:00

FB in '08!
hope this note finds everybody well on their way in the new year!
after a bit of a winter hibernation, we, fb, are all rested-up and ready for another year. we've been working on shit tons of new
material and are ready to get back into getting back into the studio
this spring time to sculpt album no. 2 (under the working title
'Person to Person') to be released autumn this year. we're gonna be
kicking around some of these new jams on this upcoming tour, so make
sure not to miss out on the real time coalescent phase...

FOREIGN BORN on tour with ST. VINCENT

Feb. 15- Echoplex- Los Angeles, California
Feb. 16- Velvet Jones- Santa Barbara, California
Feb. 17- Great American Music Hall- San Francisco, California
Feb. 18- Doug Fir Lounge- Portland, Oregon
Feb. 19- Neumo's- Seattle, Washington
Feb. 22- Cedar Cultural Center- Minneapolis, Minnesota
Feb. 23- Schuba's- Chicago, Illinois (early show and late show)
Feb. 24- Ohio State U Wexner Ctr.- Columbus, Ohio
Feb. 25- Andy Warhol Museum- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb. 26- The Rock & Roll Hotel- DC, Washington DC
Feb. 27- The First Unitarian Church- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb. 29- Bowery Ballroom- NYC
Mar. 01- Middle East- Cambridge, Massachusetts

yrs-
-fb

2008-02-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

p.s.: wanted to clue you in on the two page photo of FB in the February issue of GQ mag- should be on news stands now...ha.

2008-01-03T03:13:00.000-08:00

:::
In Memoriam Evan Farrell

However counter-intuitive as it may seem, it's usually much harder than one would imagine to foster a positive communal interaction between musicians in bands while on the road together. We've been in the practice of regularly inviting members of the bands we tour with to sing, clap and bang on any bit of percussion along with us on our song "Union Hall" for sometime now. During our US tour with Rogue Wave in the Fall of 2006, then bass player for the group, Evan Farrell joined in with us by about the third show or so- very early on. As the tour progressed Evan ended up writing his own harmonies which I still to sing today. By the middle of the tour, Evan joined us on stage for two songs, 1/3 of our complete set, playing guitar with us on our version of the Townes Van Zandt tune "Waitin' Around to Die." The end of the tour saw us all just jamming backstage at night after every show- for which the final show in Santa Cruz, California saw an extended all night session at one of his friend's near by home.

More than just rising above and beyond our idea of a fellow touring musician, I think it was Evan's humor that really got us. He'd sometimes speak in this loud old-drunken-hobo voice that would really make us all just laugh endlessly. Laughing makes tour live-able. I remember one morning walking back to the van after spending the night on a riverboat casino hotel in the super downtrodden antebellum town of Vicksburg, Mississippi and hearing that voice shout out to us: 'hey you, yous the ugliest bunch of motherfuckers I ever have seen!'. We laughed and shrugged it off as Evan joking about, before realizing that an old, totally shitfaced-by-11-am homeless man was actually very upset, yelling at us and chasing us...
and with this, we remember Evan Farrell, our hearts are with you.

2007-11-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

we've got a few shows coming up:

Dec 1 @ Slim’s, San Francisco
Dec 2 @ El Rey, Los Angeles
Dec 3 @ Casbah, San Diego
Dec 4 @ Plush, Tuscon, Arizona

all with VHS or BETA

2007-11-19T19:06:00.000-08:00

2007-11-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

FOREIGN BORN and M. Ward this Saturday 11.17.2007
@
the Luckman Arts Complex
@
Cal State LA!

Doors at 7
-FB at 8
-M. Ward at 9:15

get pre-sale tickets HERE!

check out this MAP for how to find yr way to the show!

2007-10-16T01:02:00.000-07:00

2007-10-12T14:53:00.000-07:00

FB in NY for CMJ:::

Wednesday 10/17/07:
-7 PM: Orchard Party @ Slipper Room.
-10 PM: Dim Mak/Magnum Show @ The Delancey.

Friday 10/19/07:
-8 PM: Crashin' In Party @ Galapagos.

Saturday 10/20/07:
-2 PM: Pull-Out Method Party @ Club Midway.

2007-10-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

a quick overview of one night in redding california on our way back home from seattle. thanks to everybody who came out to the shows- let there be more!

2007-10-01T23:23:00.000-07:00

:::
the swerve festival in barnsdall park was the perfect golden orange california dream of a grassy hill- like the vague memory of some cover art for a lost beach boys album circa 1971 or maybe 1921?
we're grateful to ASCAP and FUELtv for inviting us to take part.

p.s.: not to mention how sweet it was to play next to frank lloyd wright's 'hollyhock house':::::

2007-09-28T17:09:00.000-07:00

::
one day till Swerve.
we play saturday at 4:30.
it's totally free man.
look, they're setting it up---->

2007-09-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

::::
only today, tuesday the 25th!-
freely and legally download 'Into your Dream' from our myspace page or from this link in celebration of officially representing to the infinite world of network television, one possible simulacrum of everyday life in our neighborhood of Echo Park, Los Angeles. we, FB, are happy to give away, if only for one day, the official soundtrack to what just might be the most pivotal moment of Chuck's whole fuckin' life!

2007-09-24T23:33:00.000-07:00

foreign born jam with 'Chuck'...

2007-09-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Monday, Sept. 24:
whoa, you'll never believe it, but a few months back while we were playing a show at the ex-plex here in echo park, right towards the beginning of our set while we were playing 'into yr dream' outta nowhere some ninja chick totally got into a fight with some cia agents while dancing with some chump. i guess somehow it got filmed (?) and it's gonna be on TV (??)- we've been told it's called 'Chuck' and it's gonna premiere on NBC on Sept. 24 at 8pm/7c.

Saturday, Sept. 29th:
FB plays the first ever Swerve Festival in LA! We play at 4:30 at the great lawn stage in Barnsdall Park! It's FREE!!! Check their website for all the details.

October 2nd-7th:
Tour up the west coast with DataRock, look here for details.

October 16th-21st:
New York/CMJ- we'll be in NY playing some shows, more news as it comes.

2007-09-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

listen to a recent interview we did with KUSF at 4 PM this Sunday Sept. 16th! dig it live on 90.3 fm in the bay area or on the intra-web here.

2007-09-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a visual record of our set at last month's Fuck Yeah Fest..

2007-09-10T01:33:00.000-07:00

ok, ok- if you haven't guessed already, the above virtual simulation totally sums up what our next album's gonna sound like. we're thinking about calling it "Don't Give Up (Africa)"- awesome title or what!?

2007-08-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everybody who made it out to our record release party last night, 'twas a long time coming! Check LA Times music columnist, Kevin Bronson's take on the show here.

2007-08-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the official birth of our debut album 'On the Wing Now', we're hosting a free show featuring old pals, In Waves, and some new, old world pals, Nevenka, (LA based woman's choir who sing traditional dramatic adaptations of Bulgarian and other eastern/central European folk styles- music marked by alarming and mysterious harmonies, punctuated by yips, yelps, yowls, wails and whoops.)

2007-08-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Please check this chat, both parts 1 & 2, which Matt recently had with local LA music enthusiast Nik Mercer on BIBABIDI.net. Thanks Nik!

2007-07-30T23:57:00.003-07:00

FB would just like to thank all of the nice individuals who came out to see us in support of the Rapture last week! We realize we have a largely broke fan base and that sure was a steep ticket! But at least the drinks were cheap.. ha! I was personally scolded for stealing a bottle of water from the bar when it was sans bartender.. he told me The Mayan Theater was "not my home," I'll never forget him and the advice he gave me.
On the upside, we met an FB fan from France! who had everything we'd ever done! That's a hard thing to do even in California. I think most of the band doesn't even have that much. So thankyou Foreign friend!

In other news we recently taped a perfomance for The Daily Habbit on FUEL TV to air on August 7th. We played "Union Hall" and "Into Your Dream" on a stage with a skate board ramp.. If you get this channel (we don't know anybody who does..) then watch us on TV! We'd like to thank everyone over at FUEL for all the support..You can follow this link to find out exactly what time it airs and so forth.
http://fuel.cablesource.net/
mp

2007-07-17T22:48:00.000-07:00

anybody lucky enough to catch the new Sigmar Polke pieces at the Venice Biennale?

2007-07-11T01:44:00.000-07:00

2007-07-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

FB are way grateful to Mark Needham for his incredible job on the dense mixage of our disparate collage of good and sometimes not so good musical ideas...Thank you kindly Mark, with no help from Will Brierre of course.
-fb

2007-06-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

oh giulietta!

2007-06-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

this :

or that:

2007-06-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened to us in our own neighborhood.. They put us on a TV show! Playing at a local club to a "local" crowd with massive Coldplay lights behind us. Just a regular day in Echo Park. But the funniest part (beside our minds being altered by a bottle of Jim Beam) was that guy in the very front row with his fist in the air, screaming and staring into my eyes like a raving lunatic! It was hard to concentrate. This might have been the director's fault of course, explaing to the crowd of extras that "this was their favorite band" and that they should "go nuts". But it was a good time for all in the end.
This show, as I've forgotten to mention, is called "Chuck" and will hit the air in September. The show, from the creators of "The O.C.", is primarily about government secrets inside a slacker's mind, which a handful of Matrix-like CIA agents are trying to uncover or protect.. not sure, as we were confused by a group of strangers being paid to dance to our music.. and we were wasted. In this episode he dates an assasin who displays some "deadly" moves on the dance floor, but the crowd doesn't notice anything because they're watching their favorite band! it was the best gig we've ever played.

2007-05-01T13:48:00.000-07:00

Holy SHIT! Foreign Born signed a record deal! Yes, it's happened folks, meaning that the self-releasing days of hanging out at Kinko's are over (hopefully), but you never know, that place has a strange, time-sucking magnetism about it..
As of a day or two ago, not long before going on stage in support of the Walkmen, we signed with Dim Mak, for an August 21st release date of "On the Wing Now". I personally signed it on the hood of my car (every contract I've signed (2) has been on a car somehow) and the rest of the guys, I think signed on a bar..
anyway, so that's that. We added a song to the mix - "Don't Take Back Your Time", for those of you who got the advanced copy, and took one off - "We Had Pleasure".
For the art, we found this painter named Paul Urich, who's currently showing at the Eleanor Harwood Gallery in San Francisco, who let us use his painting "Together". It looks great, thanks again Paul!
Other than that, we won't be playing too many shows until our record comes out. Maybe a few shows here and there, but we'll resume touring in August around it's release, including a cool record release show of some kind.
hope you're well out there,
MP

2007-03-05T00:14:00.000-08:00

Check out this interview I did for sendmedeadflowers.com! We discuss some important issues and leave very few stones unturned..

Also, we just agreed to play an acoustic set @ the Echo on March 12th with Airborne Toxic Event and many others. It will be a short set, but we will try to play as much high-octane-stripped-down rock music as possible. Included shall be songs we don't usually or have never played.. New stuff, covers, etc. Our experimental jazz-odyssey..
- MP

2007-02-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Hello,
hope yr well...Our dear old friend Ross makes his way through this world as a cinematographer. Click here to watch his 'reel' (L.A. speak, but I guess they're not really reels anymore are they?!) in which he's used some very familiar music...Thanks Ross!!
yours-
-fb

2007-02-08T16:13:00.000-08:00

We would just like to bashfully announce that the last few copies of our album "On the Wing Now" have been successfully released into the wild. That's right SOLD OUT! 500 out the door, just like that. It seems like only yesterday that we were ripping off the front jacket of T.S. Elliot's "The Wasteland" for its cover and chilling out at Kinko's making the inside booklets..
We are currently working on the next batch, which will be slightly different (don't worry collectors!) until the album's official release a few months from now.
We'd also like to thank everybody for making that trek out west to see us and In Waves at the Viper Room! That was a blast!And we appreciate you not being too afraid of those west hollywood vibes, although you probably should be.
We gotta stick together!
FB

2007-01-31T11:46:00.000-08:00

Come one, come all, come on and come hither! Listen to "It Wasn't Said to Ask"- another rare artifact from the systematically recorded and analyzed collection of beauteous remains, entitled "On the Wing Now" yet to be put on permanent public display within our shared museum of the social, political and economic.
What is culture?

2007-01-24T12:59:00.000-08:00

February is coming up! and Foreign Born are attacking Los Angeles with a small avalanche of shows, including two dates of the Grizzly Bear/Papercuts tour!
We are also going to be playing mid-month on KXLU.. So keep your antennas pointed toward the west hollywood sky!
Below is a collage we made from some of our touring last year
featuring: a stunning picture of our drummer Garrett asleep in the backseat of our mini-van whilst driving around Scotland; Matt on the rocky shore of Portsmouth, UK; Ariel trapsing through the greenery of an English park, and Lewis dowsed in the red light of a guitar solo - all set among the mountains captured from our American tours.

2007-01-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

Watch two songs captured in real life and real time from last weekend's Plug Awards Party (held in a very cold warehouse):
It Wasn't Said to Ask
The Nights Tall
enjoy-
-fb

2007-01-17T18:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year & good tidings to you! Thanks to everybody who came down to our first show of 2007 CE, year of the Pig, Jewish year 5769, Islamic year 1427- however yous keep track... Yes, 'twas a very good time indeed and thanks be to the Plug Awards and Imeem.com, amongst others, for their sponsorship.
A little glimpse as to what went down:

2006-11-28T13:13:00.000-08:00

A few late night pictures from our American journey.

2006-11-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

We, FB, cordially invite y'alls to sip on some Southern Lean, strap on some oversized head phones and get bliss'd-the-f*ck-out to a Slowed n' Throwed remix of our self-proclaimed classic, "The Entryway" - REMIX no. 2.
R.I.P. DJ Screw-
-fb

2006-10-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

To fill a day off on our current tour with CWK, we stopped in Sedona, Az in search of some energy... Climbing high peaks and rubbing red sand on our hands in the vortexes, we stumbled and miraculously found 'neath twist juniper tree, a mysterious mp3. Dusting off the ancient gem, a choir of voices emerged! An old faded label read "The Entryway"...

Thanks be to Cam-bone for her multi-layerd singing.

-fb

2006-10-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, Hello:
We present to you,
yr last chance in 2006 to catch us play live for you in your own town:

"Still Livin' Off the Grid Tour"
supporting hometown heros, COLD WAR KIDS:

Oct 7- SAN FRANCISCO, Mezzanine
Oct 9- SAN DIEGO, House of Blues
Oct 12- TEMPE, The Clubhouse
Oct 14- TUCSON, Rialto Theatre
Oct 17- TULSA, Caines Ballroom
Oct 18- LAWRENCE, The Bottleneck
Oct 21- CHICAGO, Hide Out
Oct 22- CINCINNATI, Howard's Club H
Oct 23- INDIANAPOLIS, Birdy's
Oct 24- NASHVILLE, Exit In
Oct 26- BALTIMORE, DC 9
Oct 27- BROOKLYN, Union Hall
Oct 28- BOSTON, Paradise Rock Club
Oct 30- PHILADELPHIA, Johnny Brenda's

This will also be your last chance to pick up the limited, pre-release handmade edition of our forthcoming album
"On the Wing Now"- otherwise yer gonna have to wait 'till 2007 foolz!

greasy peacey-
-foreign born

2006-09-25T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
Writing to you from backstage at the 'Martini Ranch' in Scottsdale, Arizona...strange. But alas, we made it through the south, mostly unscathed- here's a quick overview in photos:
1) Lewis hangin' (post back ally jam) with Afie (Paso Mino) and Jason Collett on the beautiful back veranda at the 'Bottle Tree' in Birmingham, Alabama. Mellow vibes...
2) Garrett and Lewis giving in and trying their luck with 'Waffle Haus' in Shreveport, Louisiana- during which...
3) Matt and Ariel decided to check 'Captain D's' grease supply, only to find the WORST, MOST WRETCHEDLY VILE grease we've seen anywhere in America!!
4) Lastly, we were towed in Dallas, Texas. Alright- fine OK, it happens sometimes- the promoter paid...After which though, we spent the night at Matt's family's pad out in the beautiful 'burbs, where the police rolled up on us and we were almost towed, again, due to a sign that was left on our dashboard from the venue we played in Boston, Massachusetts, the 'Middle East'....Ha!
See ya' soon LA-
-fb

2006-09-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

Livin' off the grid-
Like many a restauranteur across our great nation, you too may be thinking (in an ubiquitous 'merican accent) "What, yer what now?- running that there van off what? Used fryer oil?? Grease?"
The answer is yes- why yes, we are.:
1) First we find any restaurant alongside the highway, in this case we stopped at Ray's in Green River, Utah.
(Ray's happened to be one of the only open establishments in this old dilapidated, boarded-up, dusty and depressed desert town.)
2) Next check for grease behind the joint. Usually to our dismay, it's directly next to the trash bins.
3) Find the 55 gallon drum of used fryer vegetable oil.
4) Bail the grease from the source, one bucket to the next and pour it (looks like maple syrup or caramel in a candy bar commercial) right through the strainers and filters into the 100 gallon tank that sits right in back of the van.
5) Sometimes it's really, really rank and the smell makes you want to retch.
6) After cleaning and washing up a bit, we immediately feel the rush of satisfaction from being able to drive across our vast country for less than $40 thus far, not supporting the thorny current political situation which dizzyingly revolves around the oil industry and last but certainly not least, using a cleaner burning, naturally re-newable resource. Hor-ray!!!

2006-09-16T13:25:00.000-07:00

Foreign Born are on the road! We have travelled from one wild, rugged coast to another on nothing but grease from our nation's kitchens and a little elbow grease of our own! We are currently in Charlottesvile, Virginia scaling the walls of Thomas Jefferson's grand visions and peering in to Edgar Allen Poe's dorm room at U.V.A.. Apparently toga parties are still happenning.. Blue plastic cups litter historic grounds. But the tour's going great and we are meeting a few people in every city who actually know who we are, a good feeling in these strange times. We'd like to thank all those who come early to shows to see bands like us. Next up is North Carolina, FB onwards..

2006-08-24T01:22:00.000-07:00

Hopefully on tour we can find some gas station windows that rival these in their clarity and Spiritual Unity... but I don't think we're going back through Wyoming.

2006-08-22T21:23:00.000-07:00

We are coming America! in a matter of weeks we shall be at your door. Please have margaritas ready and couches un-infested with mutant lice! The Foreign Born touring machine, a van that runs on grease that we are stealing from Dios Malos, will be rolling in on fumes smelling most like french-fries and well - like America..
We will have our new album "On THE WING NOW" up our sleeves like packs of dirty cards. Please buy them and help us exist!
We're trying to help you!
- MP

2006-08-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

How To Make A Record At Home

First things first, Greg Calbi is mastering our record out in NYC this week! Check his stats HERE, he's done it all!

We've found the title but are still searching for some art...We'll let you know as soon as it's all finished up. Until then, enjoy this tutorial, brought to you by our manager Kevin K. a.k.a., Big-Buckz:

Inspirational posters in your tiny apartment studio, "where it all happens"...

Pro-Tools rig, pre-amps, compressors etc...

Cables & wires for all sorts of various gadgets and instruments...

Closet turned isolation booth for recording singing, hand clapping, tambourines, shakers, bells and guitars....

Safe place by the window to store your masters...

Tongue drum and some turntables to make Chopped & Screwed versions of your first 7".

2006-08-07T23:56:00.000-07:00

Summer BBQ

We rang in August with a gathering at our house- barbeque-in', drinkin', ping pongin' and listenin' to some jams. The night ended with a birthday cake for our pal Adrian. Check the progress of the event as told by digital photos.: (By the way, if anyone knows how to properly gets dem coals hawt, please email Ariel and do let him know...)

Matt stoking the flames

Adrian on his 27th. Mint Chip Ice Cream Cake!!!

Gimme Fuel, Gimme Fire, Gimme That Which I Desire!!!!!!!!!!!!

Garretts dinner.

2006-08-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Talladega Nights

Foreign Born took a field trip to Talladega Nights with In Waves, The Blood Arm, and some other friends. We took up an entire row and the movie was nothing short of phenomenal. I guess it also wouldn't be Los Angeles without the celebrities- it's true, the stars were there, these two blessed us with their presence.:

Abra Cadabra Holmes.
FB

2006-08-04T17:58:00.000-07:00

Green Writing Paper

Here's a demo of a newer song "Letter Of Inclusion". It will be on the forthcoming album, but that version may be a bit different- enjoy this glimpse before you get into the final version...
-FB

2006-07-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Union Hall - Live @ Tangiers 7/30/06

Big up to everyone who came out last sunday night and caught us playin' with Luke Top & Ferraby Lionheart at Tangier, 'twas a blast! Below is a small video of the second performance ever of one our newest tunes, 'Union Hall'.

Enjoy!

-fb

2006-06-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

Bro, Kevin Bronson of his BUZZ BANDS column of the LA Times wrote on June 22, 2006:
'...Foreign Born, opening for Giant Drag, helped break in the new sound system (bring earplugs) at the Silverlake Lounge on Tuesday. Foreign Born's full-length debut is being mixed; meanwhile, the band has a new four-song EP, "Loud Times of the Valley," that features a cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Waitin' Around to Die.".... ACTUALLY KEV, as of that very show, the limited edition "Loud Times" EP is officially out of print! Thanks to everyone who bought one- yer lucky!

Download "Waitin' Around To Die" here:

2006-06-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Ariel and Matt somehow found themselves at a high-class Hollywood party about 2:30 am last week and spotted FB's official favorite member of the cast of 'Arrested Development". Look at Matt's grin- life's good!

2006-06-08T19:17:00.000-07:00

Foreign Born Live at Walter's on Washington

Look at this! - we found ourselves on Youtube.com! a gratifying moment for any band mingling through the depths of 2006.
Here we are in Texas on the first date of our tour with We Are Scientists, peforming our hit song "Trial Wall". It's gonna be on the new album..

2006-05-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

We have recently been handed a truckload of beautiful photographs from our friend Malia James who spent a few days with us while we were on our UK tour with Giant Drag. We thought, as a band, collectively, that you might like to see them, atleast for art's sake, if not for FB's.. So here are a few, and if they speak to you, check out MaliaJames.com and see what else she's done 'cuz it's all splendid. -FB.

2006-05-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

Why yes- we've finally made it back to the states. Although the So. Cal sun shines bright, we must admit that we do miss our beloved Dear Olde Blighty....Many thanks to our friends, W.A.S. and Giant Drag, the tour was 'Ace', we can't wait to return... A new friend, whom we met at the Portsmouth Pyramids, send us this lovely photo collage of her autographed hand so we'll nvr 4gt!!! p.s.: 3 new shows added, California and Arizona!

2006-04-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

HEY, we just added another, last minute gig in London.
We hope to see you there!
-FB

April 17th - London, UK
@
The Old Blue Last
39 Great Eastern Road
London EC2A 3ES

Doors: 8pm
FB: 10:30pm

2006-03-26T23:47:00.000-08:00

Why not listen to a recent podcast from the pirate radio show 'GTFU' featuring 1/2 of FB (mp & lp) playing some rarities?!
GTFU Radio Show
Enjoy.

2006-03-18T20:35:00.000-08:00

"Loud Times of the Valley" EP:

A limited edition pressing of only 300, packaged in beautifully
handscreened natural gatefolds, will be available for purchase ONLY at
shows on our current tour.

1) Don't Take Back your Time
2) Waitin' Around to Die
3) I Rely
4) Barstool Blues

Just a few will be available for purchase @ grandgallopmusic.com.
namaste-
-fB

2006-03-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Dearest friends-
Welcome to our new domicile in the intra-web.
Above is an artist's rendition of what it looks like from the inside out...
l.u.v.-
-fb