Communion

Communion, the U.K.’s most credible source for breaking artists, are pleased to announce further details of their recent move into the U.S. with “The Austin to Boston Tour,” a unique adventure featuring Ben Howard, The Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff and Bear’s Den. After the success of the Communion debut U.S. tour, Communion in the Redwoods in Big Sur and the ongoing monthly residencies in Brooklyn and San Francisco, the collective is proud to confirm new tour dates this spring. Tickets will go on sale Saturday January 28^th. Fans can check local listings and venue websites for ticketing information (full tour schedule below).

“The Austin to Boston Tour” will kick off March 15 across twelve dates in North America. Beginning at South by Southwest in Austin, the four emerging talents from the U.K. and U.S. will pile into a convoy of vintage VW Camper Vans and embark on a journey concluding in Boston at Berklee College of Music on March 31. The tour will be documented by one of Los Angeles’ most praised young filmmakers Marcus Haney, who will capture the essence of the artists involved with daily interview footage, live footage, and beautiful travel footage.

Ben Howard is a highly praised British singer-songwriter poised for breakthrough in the United States.  His impressive live shows have lead to sellout tours across the U.K. and throughout Europe. Howard and his band, through relentless touring, have created a huge word of mouth buzz. He has recently received plenty of love from the British press and the influential BBC Radio1, and with upcoming features in NYLON and spins on KCRW, his fortunes look set to continue across the pond. His debut album Every Kingdom (Communion Records) reached #7 in the U.K. charts. This tour will serve as Howard’s first American headline visit to coincide with the U.S. release of the album on April 3.

The Staves are English sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, whose unique vocal harmonies and haunting melodies have already seen them tipped for success by The Guardian, iTunes, Time Out, and The Independent to name a few. Known for their jaw-dropping live performances, The Staves recently supported The Civil Wars across the southern U.S., and will be touring with Michael Kiwanuka across the U.K. in February before heading out to SXSW. The latter part of 2012 will see the release of their much-anticipated debut LP, the first record on which father and son producers Glyn and Ethan Johns (whose combined credits include The Rolling Stones, Ryan Adams, The Eagles, Ray LaMontagne, Kings of Leon) have shared production duties. 

Denver-by-way-of-Missouri songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff who the New York Times describes as “pensive” and “rousing,” earned acclaim with his latest LP In Memory of Loss (Rounder Records) produced by Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Josh Ritter). He spent 2010/2011 supporting Mumford & Sons on tour.

Andrew Davie’s old band, Cherbourg, was one of the breakthrough acts of 2010, wowing fans with just a pair of stunning EPs. Then, unexpectedly, he split up the band. In March of this year he officially unveiled his new project, Bear’s Den—a delicate, subtle blend of his old band’s romanticism and the influences of Nick Drake and Bonnie Prince Billy

Communion is an artist-led organization that combines elements of live promotion, publishing, recording and production to create a hub for songwriters and musicians to develop and flourish in an increasingly competitive industry environment. Communion also encourages musical communities to grow and flourish, on and off the stage, amongst artists and audiences alike.

The organization was formed in London in 2006 by musicians Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), Kevin Jones (Cherbourg), and producer Ian Grimble (Manic Street Preachers, Travis, Beautiful South) in the basement bar of Notting Hill Arts Club. Artists to emerge from the Communion fold include Michael Kiwanuka, Anna Calvi, The Vaccines, and Ben Howard. Reacting against archaic corporate promoting practices, the Communion team pledged to give musicians an equal opportunity to play in front of a sold-out crowd, create a support network around them and blur the line between bands and audiences. Following the underground success achieved in London, the club night moved first to Brighton and then gradually to 15 cities in the U.K. and U.S. with a further outpost in Sydney, Australia. Now a fully-fledged promotions company, Communion also puts on events from venues as diverse as the 150 capacity Social on Great Portland Street to the 2,250 capacity Shepherds Bush Empire. In addition, there is the Bushstock Festival, which is the annual celebration of talent from the Communion music stable. Based across 5 venues in Shepherds Bush, 40 top acts perform live in the different venues during this one-day music festival.

Heralded across the British press for its community spirit and an enviable reputation for introducing some of the globe’s most highly acclaimed young acts, Communion’s events have become the U.K.’s foremost home for eclectic, exciting parties to respectful, passionate music fans.

Ben Lovett, Communion co-founder/Mumford & Sons notes, “In a time where friendships are formed online, musicians are less overnight sensations than afternoon flash-in-pans and society is living at a pace where fast food seems slow, we are keen to rebuild a sense of Community in the world. Support, respect, brotherhood, growth and development are some of the values that make up the Communion organization. This exists on and off stage. We champion musicians who encourage one another, regardless of genre, or level of commercial success. This support in turn led to many of our artists inadvertently becoming successful. We hope to continue and build on this reputation.

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