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Australia’s Quest Master soundtrack your RPG fantasies at the Empty Bottle

Australia’s Quest Master soundtrack your RPG fantasies at the Empty Bottle

Posted 07/02/2025

Step into the pixelated mists of Quest Master. Australian dungeon-synth artist Lord Gordith (better known among punks as Gordo Blackers of Steröid) launched Quest Master onto the scene in 2017 with a double cassette titled Lost Songs of Distant Realms, which uses Yamaha and Casio keyboards to evoke nostalgia for 90s RPGs and their epic journeys and battles in eight-bit worlds populated by knights and dragons. The release became a sensation among chiptune appreciators and fantasy enthusiasts, and in 2019 it was reissued on CD and vinyl by Out of Season—one of the first American labels to concentrate on dungeon synth.

Quest Master’s sound has since matured past this imaginative but faithful homage to early quest-based home video games: The lush, complicated soundscapes on 2023’s Sword & Circuitry (Out of Season) have a chintzy, emotive quality that recalls the ambience of Twin Peaks while maintaining a distinct energy and narrative propulsion. Despite flourishes of 80s synth-pop and wriggling earworms from The X-Files soundtrack, these ethereal, vibrant, densely layered songs are unmistakably modern.

At a cultural moment when it’s easier than ever to find a Dungeons & Dragons or Magic: The Gathering game in Chicago (the Empty Bottle, where Quest Master stops on this tour, has hosted a few of both), dungeon synth has found a warm welcome in the city’s rich electronic-music and noise scene. At this show, Quest Master will cap a bill full of artists on the cutting edge of the fantasy sound: Salt Lake City’s Fief (also on Out of Season) bring a folkloric quality to their music, locals Mors Vitaque veer toward the lugubrious and romantic, and Fort Wayne’s Sorrowmoon skew more sinister. The latter two have released music through Great Lakes Dungeon Synth, a regional collective and label that in October threw the first midwest festival for dungeon-synth lovers, the Great Lakes Dungeon Siege, in Fort Wayne

Related Artists: Quest Master

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Quest Master « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Quest Master

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Quest Master

Posted 07/02/2025

Quest Master is fantasy synthesizer music from Sydney, Australia – burst onto the underground ‘dungeon synth’ scene with “Lost Songs of Distant Realms” [2017, Out of Season] – a two volume nostalgic soundtrack to a lost 90s JRPG crafted with classic digital tones from Yamaha and Casio keyboards.

These debut releases were followed up by the sister albums “The Twelve Castles” and “The Twelve Temples” [Out of Season, 2020/2021], again using classic 90s keyboard tones and an added focus on FM Synthesis, these albums draw heavily from the soundtracks of early N64 and PSX games.

The next chapter of QUEST MASTER’s evolution, titled “Sword & Circuitry” [2023, Out of Season / Urge Records], marked a significant departure from Lord Gordith’s seminal back catalogue of RPG and classic video game inspired dungeon synth. Unlike their previous records, “S&C” is a gloriously lush and immensely ethereal affair, diving deep into 80’s synthesiser music. These songs possess a magick that will surely grip you with soaring synthesizers and captivating melodies.

2025’s “Obscure Power” [Out of Season] further builds upon the sonic blueprint of ‘Sword and Circuitry’, expanding the Quest Master universe by incorporating influences from 90’s electronica. Blending the atmospherics and pulsing rhythms of that era with the signature Quest Master sound, the result is a richly textured and immersive sounds

Related Artists: Quest Master

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Acopia « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Acopia

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Acopia

Posted 06/25/2025

Acopia is a band from Naarm/Melbourne, formed in 2018 by Kate Durman, Lachlan McGeehan, and Morgan Wright. Working with restraint and atmosphere, their music unfolds slowly and deliberately, guided by instinct and emotion. Their debut album Chances was released in 2022 on Melbourne imprint Companion, followed by a self-titled, self-released LP in 2023. Since then, they’ve sold out headline shows across the UK, Europe, and Australia, performed at festivals including Wide Awake (UK), Les Nuits Botanique (BE), and Golden Plains (AUS), and shared the stage with artists such as Bar Italia, Tirzah, and Raisa K. Their third album, Blush Response, is due out in September 2025 via London label Scenic Route.

Check out Acopia’s artist page for forthcoming news and tour dates.

Related Artists: Acopia

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Midwife « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Midwife

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Midwife

Posted 06/18/2025

Madeline Johnston is a self taught multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer, currently based in Southern Colorado by way of Denver, where she spent the last decade developing her sound and focusing on her artistic community. Midwife began while Madeline was a resident of the beloved DIY space Rhinoceropolis in 2014. On stage, Johnston is known for her sparse, emotionally charged experimental pop music that can silence a room. On record, she produces intricate and lush sonic environments in her own little corner of the heavy music scene. She describes her sound as “Heaven Metal,” AKA emotional music about devastation. Johnston writes primarily about grief, and the many faces it can inhabit.

Related Artists: Midwife

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Operelly « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Operelly

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Operelly

Posted 06/17/2025

Just days before graduating college in May of 2025, bay area native Olivia Austen released her debut EP as Operelly. The six songs on Handwriting Practice No. 1 mark the arrival of one of music’s most unique new voices. Merging together airy guitars and delicate samples, Olivia crafts songs that dance along the edges of indie, experimental, and alternative music. The resulting sound – dubbed “tiptoe music” by Olivia – is at once gorgeous, catchy, and haunting.

“My biggest inspirations were storybooks and poems with accompanied illustrations,” says Olivia. “I wrote lyrics that intentionally felt like nursery rhymes, but I still wanted the music to reflect the anxieties and broken relationships that I faced.”

Olivia is hard at work on her follow-up EP.

Check out Operelly’s artist page for forthcoming news and tour dates.

Related Artists: Operelly

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GCT is Hiring! « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

GCT is Hiring!

GCT is Hiring!

Posted 05/27/2025

Ground Control Touring is hiring for multiple positions in our New York and Los Angeles offices. We’re looking for experienced, passionate individuals to join our team and help shape the future of independent music touring.

Current openings:

Festivals Coordinator (NY/LA): Manages festival bookings, maintains industry relationships. and represents the agency on-site

Agency Associate (LA): Assists with all facets of tour booking, client interfacing, and the flow of holds, offers, and tour announcements

Administrative Assistant (NY): Supports agent teams by handling booking logistics, contracts, data entry, ticketing updates, and marketing coordination

Marketing Coordinator (NY/LA): Leads tour marketing efforts alongside the Marketing Manager, liaising with clients and crafting informed, strategic campaigns

Marketing Assistant (LA): Supports the marketing team with inter-departmental organization, social media management, and asset distribution

Full job descriptions can be found here: https://linktr.ee/groundcontroltouring

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resume and social media handles to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com. Please be sure to include the position you’re applying for in the subject line of your email.

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Ground Control Touring is hiring an Agency Associate in our Los Angeles office! « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring is hiring an Agency Associate in our Los Angeles office!

Ground Control Touring is hiring an Agency Associate in our Los Angeles office!

Posted 05/20/2025

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resume and social media handles with the subject “Agency Associate” to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com.

The Agency Associate will perform a wide variety of booking duties in support of their Agent supervisor. These duties will include (but are not limited to) the following:

· Assisting Agent with all facets of tour booking.
· Coordinating and booking fill dates for Agent clients.
· Managing the flow of holds, offers, and tour announcements.
· Interacting with client teams (managers, labels, publicists, touring crew).
· Monitoring ticket sales, evaluating tour marketing plans and executing promotional strategies in tandem with Agency tour marketing efforts.

Applicants should possess the following skills/experience:
· Bachelor’s degree preferred.
· Prior office/administrative experience required.
· 2-3 years music industry experience in a booking or agency setting is required.
· Ability to understand complex deal structure for clients’ fees.
· Strong (Mac) computer and Internet skills.
· Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
· Strong organizational and analytical skills, and a passion for accuracy.

The ideal candidate for these roles is someone who is professional and personable, able to multitask effectively (while prioritizing time-sensitive projects), attentive to details both large and small, and has a familiarity with our roster.

This is a fast-paced office. We run a tight ship, but are also avid show-goers and music fans. We hope the individuals who join us will be music lovers who are as committed as we are to the development of our artists’ careers.

Ground Control Touring is a boutique booking agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. We represent a diverse roster of acts which includes Ani DiFranco, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Callahan, Boy Harsher, Bright Eyes, Ceremony, Crumb, Deafheaven, Dry Cleaning, Gregory Alan Isakov, Japanese Breakfast, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile, Manchester Orchestra, Men I Trust, Shannon & The Clams, Surf Curse, Waxahatchee, Whitney, and many others.

This is a full-time position with eligibility for company-sponsored benefits. Compensation begins at $50,000 annually. Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to: market dynamics, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc. The salary listed is just one circumstantial element of the total compensation package for employees.

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GCT is Hiring a Festivals Coordinator « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

GCT is Hiring a Festivals Coordinator

GCT is Hiring a Festivals Coordinator

Posted 05/19/2025

Ground Control Touring is looking to hire a Festivals Coordinator!

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resume and social media handles with the subject “Festivals Coordinator” to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com.

GCT’s Festivals Coordinator will report to the Managing Director and perform a wide range of duties in support of GCT Agents:
· Act as the agency’s reliable point of contact for festival talent buyers, fulfilling submissions lists and sourcing offers across the full company roster in a strategic and unbiased manner.
· Liaise in real time with GCT Agents on festival priorities for their individual rosters, and manage those targets as they interact with festival programming timelines.
· Proactively foster existing and new relationships with festivals, buyers, and markets.
· Travel to festivals and act as a professional, on-the-ground ambassador of GCT, in coordination with GCT Agents and staff.
· Supply updates to the company writ large on monthly All@ and Agent@ calls, tracking both individual offers / accomplishments alongside broader developments in the festival landscape.
· Solicit and contribute to pitch updates and quotes from GCT Agents.
· Maintain shared resources, grids and cross-team reports.

GCT’s Festivals Coordinator should possess the following skills:
· Impeccable organization, communication, problem solving and time management skills.
· Equal measures of professionalism and personability.
· Follow through and a self-starting mentality.
· Fluency with the full gamut of GCT’s clients, inclusive of meaningful upcoming artist activity and previous touring/festival moments.

Ground Control Touring is a boutique booking agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. We represent a diverse roster of acts which includes Ani DiFranco, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Callahan, Boy Harsher, Bright Eyes, Ceremony, Crumb, Deafheaven, Dry Cleaning, Gregory Alan Isakov, Japanese Breakfast, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile, Manchester Orchestra, Men I Trust, Shannon & The Clams, Surf Curse, Waxahatchee, Whitney, and many others.

This is a full-time position with eligibility for company-sponsored benefits. Compensation begins at $70,000 annually. Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to: market dynamics, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc. The salary listed is just one circumstantial element of the total compensation package for employees.

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GCT is Hiring a Tour Marketing Assistant in LA « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

GCT is Hiring a Tour Marketing Assistant in LA

GCT is Hiring a Tour Marketing Assistant in LA

Posted 05/19/2025

Ground Control Touring is looking to hire a Tour Marketing Assistant in our Los Angeles office!

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resume and social media handles with the subject “Tour Marketing Assistant” to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com.

The Tour Marketing Assistant will perform a wide variety of duties in support of the Marketing Manager and Tour Marketing Coordinator:
· Manage all organizational aspects of GCT’s Tour Marketing service department, including cross-team resources and calendars.
· Run point on agency’s social media platforms.
· Support Marketing Manager and Tour Marketing Coordinator in reviewing marketing plans and distributing ad assets + ongoing promo materials for shows to relevant promoter and client parties.
· Compile marketing plans and radio proposals for Marketing Manager and Tour Marketing Coordinator review.
· Research audience and artist demographic information to shape informed marketing strategy.
· Contribute to marketing meetings to discuss best practices across all tours.
· Interacting with client teams (managers, labels, publicists, etc).

Applicants should possess the following skills/experience:
· Bachelor’s degree preferred
· Prior office/administrative experience preferred
· 1-2 years music industry experience is preferred, ideally in a booking or live entertainment setting that involves familiarity with marketing plans and digital advertising.
· Strong excel and math proficiency
· Strong (Mac) computer and Internet skills
· Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
· Strong organizational and analytic skills, and a passion for accuracy and proactive problem solving.

The ideal candidate for these roles is someone who is professional and personable, able to multitask effectively (while prioritizing time-sensitive projects), attentive to details both large and small, and has a familiarity with our roster.

This is a fast-paced office. We run a tight ship, but are also avid show-goers and music fans. We hope the individuals who join us will be music lovers who are as committed as we are to the development of our artists’ careers.

Ground Control Touring is a boutique booking agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. We represent a diverse roster of acts which includes Ani DiFranco, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Callahan, Boy Harsher, Bright Eyes, Ceremony, Crumb, Deafheaven, Dry Cleaning, Gregory Alan Isakov, Japanese Breakfast, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile, Manchester Orchestra, Men I Trust, Shannon & The Clams, Surf Curse, Waxahatchee, Whitney, and many others.

This is a full-time position with eligibility for company-sponsored benefits. Compensation begins at $42,500 annually. Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to: market dynamics, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc. The salary listed is just one circumstantial element of the total compensation package for employees.

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Vortxz « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Vortxz

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Vortxz

Posted 05/14/2025

Hailing from the vibrant music scene of Houston, Texas, Vortxz is an Indie/Latino rock band on a mission to transport listeners to a world of hope, freedom, and self-expression. Founded by lead singer and songwriter Isaias “Rambo” Rodarte, the group’s eclectic sound blends new-wave indie, Rock en Español, and alternative rock, captivating audiences with its raw energy and emotive lyricism. Backed by the virtuosic guitar and keys of Noe Rodriguez and the driving rhythms of drummer Jonathan Lopez, Vortxz has carved out a unique niche in the local music scene, earning a loyal following for their electrifying live performances. With an unwavering commitment to creating music that helps people escape the trials of everyday life, this rising Houston-based trio is poised to leave an indelible mark on the indie rock landscape.

Related Artists: Vortxz

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Karen y Los Remedios « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Karen y Los Remedios

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Karen y Los Remedios

Posted 05/14/2025

Behind Karen’s pulsating spectral voice lies vulnerability, contemplation and longing. Chameleon-like foundations explore cumbia in its many forms, crossing the continent with norteño airs, pitched-down rebajados, psychedelia and even traditional Peruvian music, taking in ballads, Afro-Latin percussion, reggaeton and the more electronic sounds of dream-pop, trip hop and downtempo.

A mystical, motley mixture, the ideal soundscape to fight the voices in your head while you melt on the dancefloor and scare away the ghosts of your past, your body surrendering to the dance.

That’s pretty much Karen y Los Remedios, the project led by Ana Karen G Barajas, an artist and arts and social sciences researcher born in Mexico City and raised in Guanajuato, in the company of Mexico City native Jonathan Muriel (Jiony) and guitarist Guillermo Berbeyer (Z.A.M.P.A.), who after many years on Mexico’s alternative scene decided to get together and bring this existential cumbia project to life.

While Karen and Jiony first worked together in 2009, it wasn’t until a mutual friend brought them together in 2016 that they created the instrumental EP Dónde Dormir, released by the VAA label (Various Artists) which Jiony co-founded, specializing in electronic music with elements of nu-jazz, techno, funk, trip hop and traditional Latin music fused with electronic textures. Z.A.M.P.A. released his first EP with VAA before gradually getting involved in the arrangements for Karen y Los Remedios.

Before that, Ana Karen had worked on projects like Internet del Futuro, Perro y Juan, Karen and more. Jiony had reached double figures in solo records and collaborated on projects like CasaNegra, Ser Humano and Extraperrestre, while Guillermo put out post-rock and trip hop with the Z.A.M.P.A. project, produced by Rafael Durand and Fernando González. The stars finally aligned and Karen y Los Remedios was born, partly because of the three members’ relationship with the VAA label, but mostly because Ana Karen was working and studying in China and needed to make cumbia and connect with her roots.

The band now has two EPs: Botanas, Vol15, a powerful exploration of cumbia released by the Shika Shika label in 2020, and Recuerdos de Expiación, released independently in 2021 with a more experimental vibe closer to lo-fi hip hop.

After a process of introspection during the pandemic, Karen y Los Remedios present their first long play, Silencio, an album of nine mostly unreleased songs and two bonus tracks, “Canario” and “Presagio,” taken from their first EP.

The band say their intention with this album is to “speak about the moments when we pause to think about ourselves, to see what is really troubling us, whatever that may be. It’s that vulnerability you find when there’s no sound in your mind, when you speak honestly about your desires, emotions and feelings. A place where “silence is as meaningful as sound.” So the themes in the album have a lot to do with the process of feeling, whether it’s falling in love, disillusionment or the essence of living. It’s a melancholy record that makes you dance away the pain, but also offers paths to healing in these hectic times, where loneliness has become a recurring theme, a personal exploration of the constant uncertainty of the pandemic.

Silencio speaks of these deep wounds. It’s about how kindness can give you back your faith in humanity in “Te Pido a Tí”; the feeling of rejection and self-love in “Mi Gran Dolor”; living and pleasing no one but yourself in “Silencio”; feeling things again that you missed about yourself in “Cartas Marinas”; but also the pain when love dies in “Lagrimas” and the longing for a healing love in “Presagio.” An intimate, urgent record for these unstable times.

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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Avsha

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Avsha

Posted 05/08/2025

Avsha is an artist and multi-instrumentalist from Atlanta, GA

When writing music, I am in a convulsing state. It is a convulsion that has no warning sign nor a clear space to occupy. Every song begins like this. As a child, I felt these events as anxiety and unjust torment. I needed something I really couldn’t place. I would complain that I was being punished by a means I couldn’t articulate and for a purpose I would never know. Playing Chopins Mazurka No. 5 in my living room on a baby grand piano was my very first convulsion. I felt relief. However the convulsion was different, it felt old and smelly. I felt myself wanting to feel calm so badly, that I myself was turning into a 200 year old polish loner with gray hair on my knuckles and an always snotty tissue up my sleeve to offer my great grandchildren:

So I edged closer and closer to a permanent metamorphosis. For 10 years, my body grew an overcoat and a combed-over balding head. These were minor convulsions, though they would hold my over until my Greatest one. The one that overtook me and overwhelmed me 10 years after my very first.

I wrote my first music at 14, a song called sewing. It stopped me from growing a pair of old loafers from the digits of my toes. This made my convulsive cycles known to me. The long torments of guilt, shame, joy, and confusion filling a pool with no border that, when having drunk enough, would lead me to a singular, muscular, body of music.

I have had my first convulsive laugh I’m pretty sure. And I would like you to know about it.

Related Artists: Avsha

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GCT is hiring! « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

GCT is hiring!

GCT is hiring!

Posted 05/08/2025

Ground Control Touring is looking to hire an Administrative Assistant in our Brooklyn office!

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter & resume to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com.

The Administrative Assistant will perform a wide variety of duties in support of their Agent and Agency Associate supervisor(s). These duties will include (but are not limited to) the following:
· Assisting Agent and Agency Associate with all facets of tour booking.
· Managing the flow of contracts, deposits, ticket counts, finals and client settlements.
· Entering extensive event and deal information into our database.
· Interacting with client teams (managers, labels, publicists, touring crew).
· Monitoring ticket sales, evaluating tour marketing plans and executing promotional strategies in tandem with Agency tour marketing efforts.

Applicants should possess the following skills/experience:
· Bachelor’s degree preferred
· Prior office/administrative experience preferrred
· 1-2 years music industry experience is preferred, ideally in a booking or live entertainment setting that involves familiarity with settlement sheets and complex artist deal structures.
· Strong excel and math proficiency
· Strong (Mac) computer and Internet skills
· Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
· Strong organizational and analytic skills, and a passion for accuracy and proactive problem solving.

The ideal candidate for these roles is someone who is professional and personable, able to multitask effectively (while prioritizing time-sensitive projects), attentive to details both large and small, and has a familiarity with our roster.

This is a fast-paced office. We run a tight ship, but are also avid show-goers and music fans. We hope the individuals who join us will be music lovers who are as committed as we are to the development of our artists’ careers.

Ground Control Touring is a boutique booking agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. We represent a diverse roster of acts which includes Ani DiFranco, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Callahan, Boy Harsher, Bright Eyes, Ceremony, Crumb, Deafheaven, Dry Cleaning, Gregory Alan Isakov, Japanese Breakfast, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile, Manchester Orchestra, Men I Trust, Shannon & The Clams, Surf Curse, Waxahatchee, Whitney, and many others.

This is a full-time position with eligibility for company-sponsored benefits. Compensation begins at $42,500 annually. Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to: market dynamics, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc. The salary listed is just one circumstantial element of the total compensation package for employees.

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Pig Pen « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Pig Pen

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Pig Pen

Posted 05/06/2025

The plan was to start a band that was all longtime friends. The idea was to embrace the scene they grew up in. The result is Pig Pen.

The band is made up of vocalist Matty Matheson (chef, restaurateur, and actor from FX’s The Bear), guitarists Wade MacNeil (Alexisonfire, Dooms Children) and Daniel Romano, drummer Ian Romano (Daniel Romano’s Outfit), and bassist Tommy Major (Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Young Guv). The music is tough, harsh, intense, noisy, soulful – a blitz of pure hardcore energy. After warming up with a frenzied, sold out show at Toronto venue Sneaky Dee’s in late April, Pig Pen now announce their recorded debut. Mental Madness will release on June 27th through pivotal hardcore label Flatspot Records, a home for many breakthrough acts including Speed, Scowl, and End It. The first song arrives in “Mental Mentality,” highlighted by stomping rhythms, breakneck riffs, and a raged vocals. Matheson delivers “I have the mental madness. I’m sick. I’m sick. I’m sick.” as a cathartic release begging to be screamed back to.

After spending months passing along riffs and playlists filled with inspiration, the ten tracks on Mental Madness were written in a day and recorded the next. With a band made up of career musicians, the do-it-yourself approach for the album was a no-brainer, taking the wheel by self-recording and producing. The tracks were sent off to Arthur Rizk (Cold World, Fucked Up, Power Trip) for mixing and Grammy award-winning engineer Alan Douches for mastering. The album packs grit and bounce, combining elements of ‘80s hardcore with true rock and roll flair. The subject matter on Mental Madness sticks to themes that Matheson describes as “mental health shit”: topics like isolation, loneliness, and “letting your mind destroy you.”

“You can be having a beautiful day, surrounded by friends,” Matheson explains, “and your brain can continuously ruin it. No matter how good or bad your life is, you can still hate yourself. I’ve got to ask myself why am I feeling the ways I’m feeling?”

In other words, the record is about experiencing life, feeling all the feelings in the sunshine and the dark corners. Pushing through negative mindsets with positive energy and profound friendship, Pig Pen have created something that is not only a fun release but one that is set to be a landmark album in the genre.

Related Artists: Pig Pen

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GCT is hiring a Tour Marketing Coordinator « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

GCT is hiring a Tour Marketing Coordinator

GCT is hiring a Tour Marketing Coordinator

Posted 05/01/2025

Ground Control Touring is looking to hire a Tour Marketing Coordinator in our Los Angeles or Brooklyn offices!

Interested applicants are encouraged to submit a cover letter, resume and social media handles with the subject “Tour Marketing Coordinator” to jobs@groundcontroltouring.com.

The Tour Marketing Coordinator will perform a wide variety of duties in support of the Marketing Manager. These duties will include (but are not limited to) the following:
· Reviewing marketing plans and distributing ad assets + ongoing promo materials for shows to relevant promoter and client parties.
· Compiling marketing plans and radio proposals for Marketing Manager review.
· Creating and monitoring Marketing, Ticketing and Radio grids.
· Handling all facets of tour marketing for small-scale tours and one-offs.
· Researching audience and artist demographic information to shape informed marketing strategy.
· Contributing to marketing meetings to discuss best practices across all tours.

Applicants should possess the following skills/experience:
· Bachelor’s degree preferred
· Prior office/administrative experience required
· 2-3 years music industry experience is preferred, ideally in a venue, agency or live entertainment setting that involves familiarity with marketing plans and social/technological best practices.
· Strong excel and math proficiency
· Strong (Mac) computer and Internet skills
· Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
· Strong organizational and analytic skills, along with a passion for accuracy and proactive problem solving.

The ideal candidate for these roles is someone who is professional and personable, able to multitask effectively (while prioritizing time-sensitive projects), attentive to details both large and small, and has a familiarity with our roster.

This is a fast-paced office. We run a tight ship, but are also avid show-goers and music fans. We hope the individuals who join us will be music lovers who are as committed as we are to the development of our artists’ careers.

Ground Control Touring is a boutique booking agency with offices in Brooklyn, NY, Los Angeles, CA and Portland, OR. We represent a diverse roster of acts which includes Ani DiFranco, Belle & Sebastian, Bill Callahan, Boy Harsher, Bright Eyes, Ceremony, Crumb, Deafheaven, Dry Cleaning, Gregory Alan Isakov, Japanese Breakfast, Kim Gordon, Kurt Vile, Manchester Orchestra, Men I Trust, Shannon & The Clams, Surf Curse, Waxahatchee, Whitney, and many others.

This is a full-time position with eligibility for company-sponsored benefits. Compensation begins at $55,000 annually. Actual base salary is dependent on several factors including but not limited to: market dynamics, experience, specialized skills/training (education), level of responsibility, budgetary considerations, tenure at the company (for current employees), etc. The salary listed is just one circumstantial element of the total compensation package for employees.

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Exclaim! | 8 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear in September 2024 « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Exclaim! | 8 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear in September 2024

Posted 04/28/2025

Vancouver, BC
For fans of: GEL, the HIRS Collective, Perfect Pussy

It’s been a PISS summer in Vancouver. The hardcore outfit has rapidly established itself as a must-see with a slew of recent shows including a DULF fundraiser and Music Waste Festival. More than any other local hardcore band today, PISS place crucial emphasis on words, those of both singer and poet-at-heart Taylor Zantingh’s and, through audio samples, feminist activist Andrea Dworkin’s (ever committed to accessibility, the quartet also includes captions in its videos). Over corrosive noise and riffs that clench, wrench and tear like the jaws of life, Zantingh unpacks her experiences with body image issues and codependency as she shouts, growls and shrieks in protest against enculturated ideas about female sexuality and the subjugation of women. As she whispers, then later snarls, on “time loop at hot slit,” “Some words are bigger than bodies / I never learned how to get them out of my mouth.” But with iron determination, PISS are putting in the work, learning skills and habits that can nourish anyone. Pay attention and follow along.

Related Artists: PISS

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes trauma ray « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes trauma ray

Ground Control Touring Welcomes trauma ray

Posted 04/01/2025

Among the current wave of shoegaze revivalists, Fort Worth’s trauma ray rank as high as any at capturing its complexity, intensity, and expressive devastation. Since first making waves with a self-titled EP in 2018, the core songwriting duo of Uriel Avila and Jonathan Perez have expanded and refined the project’s vision and craft, culminating in their 12-track Dais debut, Chameleon. Rounded out by bassist Darren Baun, drummer Nicholas Bobotas, and guitarist Coleman Pruitt, the album both synthesizes and transcends its influences, a stormy fusion of downer hooks, apocalyptic beauty, and bulldozer riffs.

One of trauma ray’s greatest gifts is their ability to make doomy, sledgehammer heaviness sound like an ear-worm, without production tricks or gimmicks: “Riff, verse, chorus, three guitar parts – that’s all you need.” The result is the essence of what Perez wants for the band: ” In general I never want to do things in the studio that we can’t play live, although it always sounds better live because the guitars are louder.”
The name trauma ray was inspired by the German word for ‘daydream, or ‘dream state,’ in classic shoegaze fashion. Avila’s background in a devout Pentecostal community gives his lyrics about guilt, purgatory, and passing to the other side to an emotional authenticity that cuts through the music’s majestic volume.

This quality is particularly apparent on Chameleon’s title track, a churning slab of amplifier worship, swirling chords, and heavenly, defeated vocals about not belonging, shape-shifting, and death (“A twisted face / Void of attention / An empty space / In your reflection”). For Perez, it’s the pinnacle of the band’s chemistry: “Musically it’s the song that best captures our shared tastes – heavy, catchy, pretty, all at the same time. It’s my favorite chorus, favorite lyrics, favorite song on the album.”

Chameleon is a masterpiece of craft, balance, melody, lyricism, and gravity, flexing a fresh vision of loud-quiet-loud architectures and the vertigo depths of blasted harmonics. From Slowdive to Nothing to Hum and beyond, trauma ray absorb and expand on their influences, steadily carving their own terrain. Theirs is a rare and dedicated alchemy, which Perez acknowledges every time they play together: “None of us are taking any of this for granted. We’re so fortunate to be doing this thing that we all care so much about. As you get a little older, you realize that to get five people in the same room making music twice a week for six years straight is almost virtually impossible. To achieve what we’ve done is bewildering.”

The band’s live sets keep sharpening across increasingly adventurous American tours, stacking amps and turning heads show by show. With a busy performance schedule looming and new songs constantly germinating, trauma ray’s cinematic tempest is a gathering storm only just taking flight.

Related Artists: trauma ray

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Ground Control Touring welcomes Dogs On Acid « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring welcomes Dogs On Acid

Ground Control Touring welcomes Dogs On Acid

Posted 03/31/2025

Dogs On Acid are resurrected for the 10th anniversary re-issue of their self-titled LP (Lauren Records). The band was born in Philadelphia in 2014 following the abrupt end of DIY legends Algernon Cadwallader. Peter Helmis and Joe Reinhart, unready to call it quits, saw an opportunity for growth they both desired. The dudes were noodled out and hungry for something they could sink their teeth into. They wanted to bang their heads and downstroke power chords till they puked. Helmis swapped out bass for guitar and began writing in a new direction. This serendipitously aligned with the return of Algernon’s original drummer, Nicholas Tazza. To fill out the new sound, the band recruited long time friend and nasty dude, Nate Dionne. They played heavy, they played fast, they mixed lush chords with jangly discordant ones. All while seemingly unable to write an uncatchy tune. Homage was paid to many of their indie rock heroes yet impact upon listening leaves a mark that’s all their own. Lyrically the album lurks in the shadows of a broken heart but is evident in its forceful, sometimes anthemic delivery, that Helmis’ aim is on redemption by singing through it rather than wallowing in it. The band toured the US, the UK, and in 2016, played their final shows in Japan before moving on to other projects. After an extended two year reunion with Algernon Cadwallader in ’22, the three shared members of the bands still weren’t sick of each other and hatched a plan to get Dogs On Acid back together for this historic occasion. Originally released on Jade Tree Records in 2015 the band’s sole LP is finally back in print and available now from Lauren Records. Catch them this summer in select cities playing their first shows in nearly a decade.

Related Artists: Dogs On Acid

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Brooklyn Vegan | Dogs On Acid announce reunion tour & 10th anniversary album reissue « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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Ground Control Touring welcomes WHISPERS « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring welcomes WHISPERS

Ground Control Touring welcomes WHISPERS

Posted 03/28/2025

Whispers is Nitisart “Mike” Chaiburi – Vocals, Kitti “Ole” Suwan – Guitar, Weerayuth ”Neung” Klibpratum – Guitar, Tanin “Get” Meemongkol – Bass, Piyawut “Es” Thongprakob – Drums

Self-designated as “Bangkok Evilcore” Whispers, based out of Thailand, are bringing an immense sound to modern metallic hardcore. Originally formed in 2014, the band picked up steam in 2021 with the release of their Narok Bon Din EP grabbing international attention. Now Whispers join the growing roster of pivotal heavy music label Flatspot Records for the release of Yom Ma Lok.

Hitting the studio in Spring 2024, Whispers set out to make a heavy, intense record that connects on an emotional level. The band worked with Suchai at Sixthirty Recording Studio in Bangkok to hone in on their sound, before sending the EP to Andy Nelson at BrickTop Recording for mixing and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege mastered it. Influence from bands like All Out War and Merauder comes through across the seven songs, giving a tough as nails delivery packed with menacing riffs. Thematically, Yom Ma Lok addresses realism and human nature through a global perspective.

Yom Ma Lok opens with the aptly titled, instrumental “Bangkok Evilcore” before diving into the crushing “A Choice To Survive.” A hostile delivery is juxtaposed by lyrics of self-reliance based on proverbs from Buddhism. Speed’s Jem Siow, who also assisted with lyric translations on the album, guest features at the 2:50 mark of the song amidst a crushing breakdown. Lead single “Retribution” exemplifies the band’s ability to deliver a grappling hardcore song made for the mosh-pit while showcasing a knack for serious guitar writing. The guest features on the EP continue as Shaun Alexander of Despize and Stephen Bessac of Kickback lend their vocals to “Wisenheimer” and “Yom Ma Lok” respectively. Closing out with the title track, which translates to “world of death people” or “underworld” in Thai, Whispers conjures the feeling of descending into hell and leaves the listener with a stark impression.

Over the years, Whispers has brought their menacing live show across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe, and will return to the latter this fall on the Flatspot World tour. With the release of Yom Ma Lok, Whispers are setting out to spread the message and sound of Asian hardcore far and wide.

Related Artists: WHISPERS

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Joyer! « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Joyer!

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Joyer!

Posted 03/20/2025

Joyer formed in New Jersey in 2017, and after releasing two self-recorded demo collections, they released their first studio album, Sun Into Flies, in 2020, followed by Perfect Gray in 2021. Now based in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, the duo of multi-instrumentalist brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan are constantly evolving their sound. Their latest album, Night Songs, examines the allure of night and its ability to shapeshift from a mirror for our innermost demons to a shield from the demands of daily drudgery. It marks a departure from their hushed slowcore beginnings and displays a more expansive sound—from blowtorched shoegaze guitars and poppier vocals to melancholy synths and pastoral lap steel. Fittingly, their detour into twistier, heavier territory coincides with the depraved nature of nighttime activities, and their foray into a more hi-fi, pop-forward direction aligns with the stark clarity that pitch-black skies provide. Their devilish distortion also functions as a cathartic foil to their quiet, real-life demeanors, and was informed by their live shows, which increasingly featured gnarlier versions of past Joyer songs. Following the success of Night Songs the band has embarked on various country-wide tours, sharing bills with other up-and-coming acts as well as prominent indie rock artists such as Wishy, Feeble Little Horse, Horse Jumper of Love, Lowertown, and Babehoven.

Related Artists: Joyer

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Ground Control Touring Welcomes Portraits of Past « News & Press | Ground Control Touring
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News & Press

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Portraits of Past

Ground Control Touring Welcomes Portraits of Past

Posted 03/19/2025

Portraits Of Past prefers to be called a hardcore band, though many other adjectives and sub-genres have been leveled at them over the 30 years since these five childhood friends initially called it quits.

After many years of pent-up demand from listeners old and new, the darkly melodic, explosive, and reluctantly “legendary” five-piece originally from the San Francisco Bay Area is back for Summer 2025 to support a vinyl reissue of their classic 1996 self-titled album. This time around, showgoers can also expect the live debut of tracks from the 2009 Cypress Dust Witch EP.

Related Artists: Portraits of Past

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