UPDATE:
BARBOZA SHOW CANCELLED

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 4/27 Barboza show in Seattle has been CANCELLED. The hosting club is a brand new venue. The grand opening of the venue was postponed last week and rescheduled for this week. Today the band received word that the Fire Department has again delayed the final inspection. Therefore the venue will not be open for our event.

If you have purchased advance tickets, Barboza will be contacting you with instructions on how to receive a refund or exchange. STAY TUNED FOR AMAZING STUFF FROM BARBOZA! This new venue is an incredible addition to the Seattle music scene. The events leading to this cancellation were not within Barboza's control. Thank you for supporting Brent Amaker and the Rodeo and sorry for any inconvenience.

The band will perform next in Roslyn, WA at The Brick - Saturday 4/27.

Sincerely,

Brent Amaker

Original post:
West Seattle's 'Western Cinematic' band, Brent Amaker & the Rodeo recently put the finishing touches on Year of the Dragon, their forthcoming new full length album and the long-awaited follow up to the break-out Please Stand By from 2010. Amaker (whose other life is the owner of his own State Farm Insurance agency in the Admiral District) said, "

Details on the album have not been released, but a teaser video for the album directed by West Seattle filmmaker Jamie Chamberlain of Black Dhalia Films is on YouTube.

The band's cover of Ric Ocasek's "I Can't Wait" is now available as well, about which Amaker said, "I grew up in the 1980's and I listened to a lot of new wave music. Ric Ocasek is one of my heros. It was fun to put our spin on an old tune and tip the Rodeo hat toward Mr. Ocasek."

He came to record the track after rediscovering an old album and experiencing an epiphany.

"It was a few months after the last Brent Amaker and the Rodeo tour (Europe 2011), that I found myself up late one night. I was no longer on "tour time". I was firmly entrenched in the world of the day walkers. But me & the Mrs. had guests visiting. In the spirit of being good hosts we found ourselves back in that old familiar routine; An all night marathon of music, drinks, and good conversation.

I was rummaging through my collection of 1980s' new wave records when it happened. I skipped past The Cars and found a Ric Ocasek solo LP from 1983. I'm not sure why I pulled it out of the pile, but I did. I couldn't remember anything about this record. I put it on the platter and about two-thirds of the way through the first side, I stumbled onto something amazing. It was amazing for me, anyhow. I couldn't stop listening. I got up from the couch at least 10 times to move the needle and repeat the song. Eventually I was singing it under my breath because I couldn't get it out of my head. It gets blurry after that, but in that instant, somewhere around 4AM, I listened. Nothing I had previously heard on this record seemed even slightly remarkable. But suddenly, I heard magic. I believe that this was one of those unique moments in space and time. I was meant to see and hear the beauty in this song. I fell asleep with this thought in my head.

The next afternoon the record was still spinning with the needle skipping. A piece of paper was lying on the floor next to the turntable. On the paper was a hand written note. It was written by me. The note said "Brent Amaker and the Rodeo must record I CAN'T WAIT by Ric Ocasek". Who am I to argue with my late night drunk self? Immediately that week I scheduled time in the studio with The Rodeo. Our new bass player, Johnny Nails, engineered the track. This song won't be on our new record, Year of the Dragon, out in the Fall 2012. It only exists because I told myself to make it so. Nevertheless, Spark and Shine wants to release "I Can't Wait" as a digital single. So here it is. It doesn't require much effort to understand it. I hope it finds it's way to Mr. Ocasek one day. That would sweet."

The band has been confirmed to play Live Nation's 3-day Watershed Festival at the Gorge in George, WA coming up this August, where Amaker & co. will be playing alongside major country acts. Amaker said, "It's gonna be pretty cool to play the Watershed Festival at the Gorge this summer. Most of the line up will be big name main stream country acts. I can't wait to see what the crowd is gonna think of us. This could be weird, but it's certainly gonna be fun!"

Want to hear part of the album?

You can DOWNLOAD/STREAM: "I Can't Wait (Ric Ocasek cover)" via direct mp3 / via Soundcloud