Austin indie art rockers, The Black and White Years, will make their debut performance in London at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park. The band is scheduled to play both dates of the two-day festival with headliners Basement Jaxx on July 4th and KanYe West on July 5th.

The Black and White Years were the standout band at 2009’s South by Southwest with four outstanding showcases including a performance with Devo, Tricky and Datarock; plus a relentless week that kicked off by winning five major awards at the 27th Annual Austin Music Awards, the ceremony which marks the beginning of the SXSW Music Festival. 

When revealing the band’s achievement to the capacity audience at the Austin Music Hall, acclaimed journalist and Austin DJ, Andy Langer, who hosted the Austin Music Awards, announced, ”The Black and White Years are tonight’s big winners with five awards… a SWEEP!” The Austin, Texas four-piece were presented with SXSW trophies for Best New Band and Best Song for their single, Power to Change, Best Performing Band - Rock and Best Bass Player (John Aldridge). In addition, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Modern Lovers) won the award for Best Producer of the Year for his work on The Black And White Years’ eponymous debut album.

Though Scott Butler, John Aldridge, and Landon Thompson, met while attending Nashville’s Belmont University in 2005, The Black and White Years call Austin, Texas, home. The move to Austin has seen the band evolve towards the infectious electro-dance-rock sound that has brought them five Austin Music Awards, radio airplay, and heavy buzz-worthy status during SXSW 2009, one of the world’s largest and most renowned music festivals.

It was only in 2007 that the band played their first SXSW Festival…

Their “official” showcase was in the parking lot of Opal Devine’s, far from the SXSW epicentre of 6th Street and Red River. B&WY were the first of a five-band line-up and took the stage to an audience of exactly seven people. One of those seven people, however, was the former Talking Head and Modern Lover, Jerry Harrison. Harrison was captivated by the band’s performance and over the rest of the weekend he visited them at their rehearsal space, where The Black and White Years performed their entire catalogue for him.

Five weeks later the band was in Harrison’s San Francisco bay area studio, Sausalito Sound, recording what would become the band’s eponymous debut album, The Black And White Years. The band did not have a drummer at the time that the album was recorded, as they had opted for the precision of programmed rhythms. Harrison recruited session drummer, Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Duran Duran, Saturday Night Live, Eric Clapton), to lay down the live drums tracks for the album. Billy Potts was brought on board to join the band as full time live drummer in 2008.

Fast forward, to SXSW 2009…

The Black and White Years are the epitome of a SXSW dream come true. At the Austin Music Awards, the annual show kicking of the SXSW Music Festival by recognizing excellence in the Austin music community, the band was the big winner for 2009. The Black and White Years took home FIVE awards including Best New Band, Song of the Year (“Power to Change”), Best Rock Band, Bass Player of the Year (John Aldridge), and Producer of the Year (Jerry Harrison). The band also played a series of well-attended showcases, capped off by the prized BMI Showcase where they shared the bill with DEVO, Tricky, and Datarock.

The band’s song, “Power to Change,” has received a fair amount of national attention via modern rock specialty airplay and college radio but also went the distance at WEQX/Albany (#1 for four weeks), KROX/Austin (Top 10 and #1 Requests) and full time adds at stations like  CD- 101/Columbus and Indie 103.1/Los Angeles.

The music video for “Power To Change,” quite the poignant commentary on society as a whole, was well received in regards to its message and relevance during the 2008 US Presidential elections. A new video for the song, “Zeroes and Ones,” has just been completed and was featured on Kanye West’s website shortly after its release.

The band has appeared at the CMJ Music Festival, Austin City Limits Music Festival, MIDEM and done some limited touring throughout the Midwest and Northeast of the United States. They will be making their debut appearance in the UK at the O2 Wireless Festival on July 4-5 and will embark on their first U.S. tour later this year.

The Black and White Years – Official Site

www.theblackandwhiteyears.com

The Black and White Years - MySpace

www.myspace.com/theblackandwhiteyears