Following a host of summer European shows, reunited New York rock outfit Rival Schools is plotting its first U.S. tour in five years. Dates begin Oct. 9 in Los Angeles and run through a hometown Nov. 6 show at Mercury Lounge.
Included in the itinerary is an Oct. 11 set at Lisk Fest in Irvine, Calif., alongside Pennywise, the Vandals, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die and Rival Schools frontman Walter Schreifels old band, Gorilla Biscuits.
"We'd kept in touch over the years, and even did some demoing in the hopes of making another record," Schreifels tells Billboard.com. "This summer, push came to shove and [drummer] Sam [Siegel] said, 'Hey dude, let's do this! We're not getting any younger.' I said, 'You're right. We're waiting for this perfect parting in the clouds to happen. Maybe we should just book a show and play and see how it feels.'"
In addition, the group is making plans for a new studio album, the follow-up to its lone 2001 release, "United by Fate." During the summer gigs, several new songs were played, including "Paranoid Detective," "Big Waves" and "Sophia Lauren," which were intended for a second album that never materialized.
"I'm psyched to write new stuff now that the tour is done," Schreifels says. "I'm feeling a little bit more inspired now. Being an acoustic guy for the last couple of years has been an awesome way to see what I want to do in a band situation. It's exciting to play heavy and loud again."
To tide fans over, a handful of rare tracks are now streaming on the band's MySpace page, including "Sweet," a vinyl-only bonus cut on "United by Fate."
"I'm not sure now why it didn't make the album because I really like it now (hindsight!)," says Schreifels. "It's very poppy and has a New Order-ish feel that is only hinted at on the rest of the record."
Here are Rival Schools' tour dates:
Oct. 9: Los Angeles (Echo)
Oct. 10: San Diego (Brick by Brick)
Oct. 11: Irvine, Calif. (Lisk Fest)
Oct. 12: San Francisco (Bottom of the Hill)
Nov. 3: Philadelphia (Khyber)
Nov. 4: Hoboken, N.J. (Maxwell's)
Nov. 5: Baltimore (Ottobar)
Nov. 6: New York (Mercury Lounge)
Included in the itinerary is an Oct. 11 set at Lisk Fest in Irvine, Calif., alongside Pennywise, the Vandals, Bleeding Through, Every Time I Die and Rival Schools frontman Walter Schreifels old band, Gorilla Biscuits.
"We'd kept in touch over the years, and even did some demoing in the hopes of making another record," Schreifels tells Billboard.com. "This summer, push came to shove and [drummer] Sam [Siegel] said, 'Hey dude, let's do this! We're not getting any younger.' I said, 'You're right. We're waiting for this perfect parting in the clouds to happen. Maybe we should just book a show and play and see how it feels.'"
In addition, the group is making plans for a new studio album, the follow-up to its lone 2001 release, "United by Fate." During the summer gigs, several new songs were played, including "Paranoid Detective," "Big Waves" and "Sophia Lauren," which were intended for a second album that never materialized.
"I'm psyched to write new stuff now that the tour is done," Schreifels says. "I'm feeling a little bit more inspired now. Being an acoustic guy for the last couple of years has been an awesome way to see what I want to do in a band situation. It's exciting to play heavy and loud again."
To tide fans over, a handful of rare tracks are now streaming on the band's MySpace page, including "Sweet," a vinyl-only bonus cut on "United by Fate."
"I'm not sure now why it didn't make the album because I really like it now (hindsight!)," says Schreifels. "It's very poppy and has a New Order-ish feel that is only hinted at on the rest of the record."
Here are Rival Schools' tour dates:
Oct. 9: Los Angeles (Echo)
Oct. 10: San Diego (Brick by Brick)
Oct. 11: Irvine, Calif. (Lisk Fest)
Oct. 12: San Francisco (Bottom of the Hill)
Nov. 3: Philadelphia (Khyber)
Nov. 4: Hoboken, N.J. (Maxwell's)
Nov. 5: Baltimore (Ottobar)
Nov. 6: New York (Mercury Lounge)
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