“The focus of the album is the recurring conflict between minorities (the raw youths) and society: The oppressor and the oppressed,” explains Gender Bender. “Each song is a different story of a youth from a different era. Some of them want to die because their faith in humanity has ended, some want to fight the authority, think outside themselves. ‘Sold Less Than Gold’ reflects the story of women who are sold into marriages or into sex slavery and how resilient their spirits are. Despite the different time periods, history repeats itself. There will always be conflict and sadly, despite the rebels in our history, there are people that are zombified. A Raw Youth is an awakened collective consciousness of wanting to live and not fear death.”
The band, rounded out by drummer Chris Common and bass player Jamie Aaron, recorded the album at RLP Studios (The Morgue Portable Disaster Unit) in El Paso, Texas. Omar Rodriguez Lopez once again produced, as he has done for both previous Le Butcherettes’ releases. Guests include Iggy Pop on “La Uva” and John Frusciante on “My Half.”
June 15 St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird
June 16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
June 17 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
June 18 Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
June 22 Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
June 23 London, ON @ Call The Office
June 25 Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
June 26 Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theater
June 27 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
June 28 Hamden, CT @ Ballroom at The Outer Space
June 29 New York, NY @ Santos Party House
June 30 New York, NY @ Santos Party House
July 1 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
July 2 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
July 3 Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
July 5 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
July 6 Louisville,KY @ Mercury Ballroom
July 7 Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue Theatre
July 8 Chicago, IL @ The Double Door
July 9 Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
July 10 Rock Island, IL @ Rock Island Brewing Company
July 11 Minneapolis, MN @ Grumpy’s
July 12 Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium
July 13 Sioux Falls, SD @ The District
July 14 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
July 16 Ft. Collins, CO @ Aggie Theatre
July 17 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
July 18 El Prado, NM @ Taos Mesa Brewing
July 19 Albuquerque, NM @ The Launchpad
July 21 Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom