News

1. →April 4, 2010

   "Sniffy Woe" live at Encore 3/17/10

   Clip by Andrea (thanks)

   
2. →April 4, 2010

   "Kangaroo" live at US Art Authority 3/20/10

   Thanks to Jonathan Toubin and Jason McNeely for inviting us to play…on the INDOOR stage. It was freezing outside.

   
3. →March 11, 2010

   The Mohawk – this Saturday night!

   

   We’ll be on around 10:30 on the outdoor stage. Lots of great stuff for sale (including the Billy Bishop poster pictured here), and items to bid on for the SIMS Foundation silent auction: rare posters (framed), rare vinyl, and vintage t-shirts. Plus the first chance to snag a CD copy of “Year One” from Bunkhaus Records.
   See you there!

4. →March 5, 2010

   All Aboard The New York Night Train…

   Saturday, March 20th will find us at the 5th Annual New York Night Train Hoodang at Spider House (2908 Fruth St.), brought to you by Mr. Jonathan Toubin, Panache Booking, Cake Shop, and Sacred Bones Records. 45 bands, 4 stages, totally free! We’re on at 4:30 p.m. Come celebrate the fact that once again you managed to survive until Saturday (if you survive until Saturday…) More info and full lineup:

   More info and full lineup.

5. →March 4, 2010

   Trail of Dead are joining the party!

   AasimFest ’10 was already shaping up to be an off the chain Austin throwdown, but now it just hit warp drive: our old pals ..And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead will be joining us at The Independent at 501 Studios on Friday, March 19th. Tentative set times below:

   Candi & the Strangers 12:00 p.m.
   Ringo Deathstarr 1:00 p.m.
   Ume 2:00 p.m.
   Migas 3:00 p.m.
   Trail of Dead 4:00 p.m.
   Sixteen Deluxe 5:00 p.m.

   And of course: it’s FREE. More details to come...

6. →March 1, 2010

   Frenchie Speaks!

   Sixteen Deluxe guitarist and producer extraordinaire Chris “Frenchie” Smith will be participating in the SXSW Music Panel “Producers Adapt and Survive” on Saturday, March 20, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. The panel will be moderated by Tim Palmer (David Bowie, Robert Plant) and will also feature Chris Wall, Hugh Padgham, and Brad Wood.

   http://sxsw.com/node/4220

7. →February 24, 2010

   THANK YOU, DAISY ROCK

   The fine folks at Daisy Rock Guitars sent Carrie their Rock Candy Classic in Diamond Sparkle. It sounds killer, and we think you’d agree that it looks VERY Carrie...

   Daisy Rock Guitars

8. →February 23, 2010

   Sixteen Deluxe is 16!

   Join us at The Mohawk on Saturday, March 13 at 9:00 p.m. for our 16th Birthday Party blowout. DJ Sue from Fuzz Club will kick out the jams throughout the evening, and the fantastic Ume will open the show. Visuals provided by Fishlegs (of Total Unicorn), and there’s an after party immediately following with Ringo Deathstarr and White White Lights playing inside until the wee hours. Tickets are on sale now, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit SIMS Foundation.

   Purchase Tickets

9. →February 15, 2010

   Hey, look: we’re playing SXSW 2010.

Biography

Sixteen Deluxe are a psychedelic noise-pop band from Austin, Texas, best known for their energetic, deafening live performances and lysergic studio creations. Formed in April 1994, they began playing live shows in June of that same year, quickly generating a heap of buzz and filling local clubs with a kinetic mix of sonic assault, pop melodies, smoke, lights, and film projections.

Originally comprising singers/guitarists Carrie Clark and Chris “Frenchie” Smith, bassist Jeff Copas, and a rotating cast of drummers, within a year the group was hailed as the loudest and most exciting on the Austin scene. Early notable gigs included the infamous Red River haunt Chances (presently home to Club DeVille); an impromptu two-song opening slot for Stereolab at Emo's; and a series of guerilla-style invasions of Austin house parties. Butthole Surfer King Coffey's Trance Syndicate label took notice, and sent the band into the studio in August of 1994 to record their debut 7" for the legendary label: "Idea" b/w "Honey", which was lauded by SPIN Magazine as one of the Top 10 Singles of 1995.

Recording sessions for their first LP, Backfeed Magnetbabe, took place over the Christmas holiday of 1994, with assistance from Cherubs front man Kevin Whitley. Released in May 1995, Backfeed Magnetbabe was met with near-hysterical critical praise, garnering the band a stack of favorable notices in SPIN, CMJ, and Melody Maker, and widespread college radio airplay.

After the video for "Idea" hit rotation on MTV's 120 Minutes, attention reached critical mass, and the band left Austin to spend most of 1995 on tour. They criss-crossed the country throughout the summer, in support slots and headlining club dates, capped off by a memorable month-long jaunt supporting L. A. noisemeisters Medicine. 1995 also saw the release of the Trance compilation, Cinco Anos, with the band contributing two songs to a stellar lineup that included Cherubs, Butthole Surfers, and Roky Erickson.

In October 1996, the band passed over several lucrative offers to sign with Warner Brothers, and Steven T. Hall assumed drumming duties full-time. Recorded in San Francisco in early 1997 with Austin indie legend John Croslin (The Reivers, Spoon, Guided By Voices), major label debut Emits Showers of Sparks would be their only release for WB. Released in January 1998, Emits was well-received critically, and showcased Clark’s vocal talents while tempering some of the noisy excesses of previous releases. Despite frequent touring, including successful support gigs with Luna and Jesus & Mary Chain, their Warner’s stay would last just two years, culminating with the band asking to be released from their contract in fall 1998. WB assented, and thanks to a well-written contract, the band set about building their home studio, The Bubble.

They jumped to indie label Sugar Fix for the follow-up EP, The Moonman Is Blue, produced by Mike McCarthy (Spoon, Trail of Dead). Released in November 1999, Moonman was a return to form, featuring studio experimentation, tape manipulation, and an overall noisy, low-fi vibe. The band spent much of the spring and summer of 1999 in The Bubble, building a working studio and recording material for a new album, while touring regionally throughout the year. Near the end of recording the album, Copas left the band, and his bass duties were assumed by Hall, with Kliph Scurlock (Flaming Lips) temporarily taking over the drum seat. The resulting album, Vision Take Me, Make Me, Never Forsake Me, the band's final and self-produced full length, was then released to much critical acclaim in June of 2000.

In July of that year, Carrie Clark left the band, resulting in the end of Sixteen Deluxe.

After a decade apart, Sixteen Deluxe are reforming to play a series of gigs in the spring of 2010, and bringing their songs and stage show right back to the same Red River block where they started.

Etc.

SPIN August 2009 — “The Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard”
“This Austin quartet — led by brash moptop Carrie Clark — was a huggable headrush, giving shoegaze a punk kick and recording two of the 1990s' most pleasurably squalling albums (Backfeed Magnetbabe and Emits Showers of Sparks). An ill-fated match with Warner Bros. kept them a (very loud) secret.” Charles Aaron

Austin Chronicle Hall of Fame Nomination, 2009-10
“Sixteen Deluxe didn't invent the noise-pop they became renowned for in the mid-1990s, yet they fine- tuned it with psychedelic multimedia shows that left audiences drained...a hit right out of the shoot, Emo's darlings for the fin de siècle. The Austin quartet's psyche was wrought with talent and tension, and though 16D blew out its candles with the new millennium, they've recently announced a reunion to coincide with South by Southwest 2010.”

Shows

1. →Saturday, March 13. 9:00 p.m.

   The Mohawk, 912 Red River, Austin TX

   with: Ume, DJ Sue, visuals by Fishlegs (of Total Unicorn) afterparty inside: White White Lights and Ringo Deathstarr. Proceeds from the show & silent auction of memorabilia to benefit SIMS Foundation. limited edition “year one” CD available (a portion of CD sales donated to SIMS).
   Advance tix $8, available here.

2. →Wednesday, March 17, 1:00 a.m.

   SXSW: Encore, 611 Red River, Austin TX

   World’s End SXSW 2010 showcase, with the Dandies, Speak, Mini Mansions, Scorpion Child, Mozella.

3. →Thursday, March 18, set time TBD

   Threadgill’s South, 301 W. Riverside, Austin TX

   Roky Erickson’s Psychedelic Ice Cream Social, with: Okkervil River, Riverboat Gamblers, more.
   Advance tix $10, available here.

4. →Friday, March 19, 5:00 p.m.

   The Independent at 501 Studios, 501 I-35 (Entry on 5th and Brushy), Austin TX

   AasimFest 2010, with: Migas, Candi & the Strangers, Ringo Deathstarr, Ume, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Sixteen Deluxe, noon – 6:00 p.m. FREE.

5. →Saturday, March 20, 4:30 p.m

   Spider House, 2908 Fruth St., Austin TX

   5th Annual New York Night Train SXSW Hoodang! with: Kid Congo Powers, Awesome Color, Woven Bones, more…45 bands, 4 stages, 12 noon – 2:00 a.m. FREE!  More info...

Releases

Contact

Press: Aasim Syed
aasim.ss@gmail.com

Sixteen Deluxe
info@sixteendeluxemusic.com