It was almost exactly two years ago that one of my best friends introduced me to the Crane Wives’ music. He played me “Curses” and I put it into my playlist immediately. From that point I slowly gathered more of their music for myself, discovering all throughout that many of my friends loved their songs. I started noticing it in the background music of our lives - during car rides and hangouts - and began feeling how much emotion their songs brought into every space they touch. I’m happy to report that the emotions The Crane Wives pump into their music are felt tenfold live.
The best part of the show was undoubtedly the community the performers have cultivated. There was a strong queer presence in the crowd, with multiple members showing pride flags and folding fans. I particularly loved that everyone was able to bond even when the band wasn’t on stage. During the changeover between the opener and headliner, an audience member pulled up pictures of a pride flag and a UK flag, which the rest of the audience cheered or booed respectively. They also sang along to ‘Red Wine Supernova’ by Chappell Roan and traded friendship bracelets.
One of the lead vocalists recounted a story about how the band had, years ago, performed at a nearby restaurant for an audience of 3. The same restaurant where they dined before this concert. She emphasized how much the band appreciates their audience and the immense support they receive, and it was evident the audience's impact on the band is as immense as the Crane Wives' on their fans. Eagle-eyed fans might even be able to spot friendship bracelets around the bands’ wrists, highlighting further the bond between audience and performer.
In comparison to other live concerts I’ve had the pleasure to shoot, the audience was near the top of my list for energy and enthusiasm. The entire audience belted along to favorite songs like “Take Me To War” and “Steady Steady” during the set, sharing wholeheartedly in the Feminine Rage release session that the band created space for.
The Crane Wives performed not one, but two currently unreleased songs from their upcoming album Beyond Beyond Beyond, coming September of this year. “Scars” and “Bitter Medicine” were like treats for the audience, prompting them to explore grief and vulnerability in a safe space. These songs were complimented by their newest release “Arcturus Beaming”, which explores hope and healing—imagining a better future while holding space for distress. Something I’m sure all of us can use a little of right now.
Dugan Kenaz-Mara is a designer, photographer, educator, and recent graduate of
Northwestern University.
Crane Wives
NORTH AMERICAN SUMMER TOUR STARTS JUNE 5: GET TICKETS HERE
ANNOUNCE LUSH FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM
BEYOND BEYOND BEYOND
DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 6
PRE-ORDER THE LP HERE
"The Crane Wives charmed us again this year with its harmony-laced folk-rock..polished sound and dynamic energy..proves just how much fun the band is having with its music.”
"The Crane Wives are a four-piece band that have an uncanny ability at crafting goose-bump inducing three-part harmonies.”
"They’re an impeccable band with incredibly tight instrumentation and harmonies that, paired with an inclination for catchy hooks and scintillating lyricism, make a strong case for their burgeoning popularity.”
Grand Rapids, Michigan based indie rock band The Crane Wives announce their self-produced, rousing fifth studio album Beyond Beyond Beyond due out September 6 and available for pre-order now. Alongside the announcement, the band shares the first taste with anthemic, empowering track and lyric video “Arcturus Beaming” out now. Plus, The Crane Wives will embark on a summer tour across North America kicking off tomorrow in Milwaukee, WI. See a full list of dates below and get tickets now here. Their first project since 2016, Beyond Beyond Beyond sees the band evolve into a guitar-driven, self-assured group who is unafraid to experiment and explore new territory.
Beyond Beyond Beyond, the fifth studio record by The Crane Wives, explores the mixture of fear, joy, and deep vulnerability that occurs when a person is on the cusp of changing the course of their life. The eleven track album is a circular journey that asks heavy questions of the listener: Am I strong enough to change? Am I brave enough to take the risk? Do I deserve the chance to be happy? It offers the listener momentum to move forward, a guide through dark spaces with shimmery other-worldly melodies and an encouraging push to venture forth into the unknown.
Beyond Beyond Beyond is an electric departure from the Crane Wives’ previous releases, prominently highlighting the lead guitar work of songwriters and singers Kate Pillsbury and Emilee Petersmark. Drummer Dan Rickabus contributes darker, stormy and dynamic rhythms to this record, while bassist Ben Zito creates narrative movement in the songs with his rooting, counter-melodic approach. The album is self-produced by the four-piece collaboration, and engineered & mixed by Zito at his studio, Centennial Sound. The band invited guest violinist Samantha Cooper and guest cellist Jordan Hamilton to help portray a distinct emotional voice. The album was mastered by Heba Kadry. The band’s longtime collaborator, visual artist Rebecca Green returned to create her fifth piece of album artwork for the project.
Rickabus shares that the band collaborated like never before throughout the album creation process. “We tried to challenge ourselves to shake loose from our old patterns and explore what is possible between the four of us. Those brave experiments mean even more to me when I think about the lyrical content of the album. The album begins with inner-conflict, and moves through a very human process of growth toward a bold belief in possibility, and an attempt to create change. So, that sense of creative experimentation really resonates.”
“Arcturus Beaming” is a triumph of curiosity and bravery, expressing a journey to uncharted spaces through swooping vocals and anthem-esque rhythms. With an exhilarating determination, Kate Pillsbury’s evocative lyrics invite the listener to wonder what is possible beyond their preconceived notions and norms. The song’s building energy culminates in a realization of personal empowerment. “Nothing will change until I change.”
Watch: "Arcturus Beaming" (Official Lyric Video)
Vocalist and guitarist Kate Pillsbury shares the track was born while she found herself moving through a crucial healing process as she learned to listen to herself, be gentle with herself and take actions to mitigate her problems. “‘Arcturus Beaming’ is about holding grief and gratitude simultaneously as I have stumbled forward through the pain. In an era when it’s justifiably easy for many of us to gravitate toward doom and gloom, 'Arcturus Beaming' is about holding strong to a radical imagining of a better future, and doing the work to cultivate that future, which I believe requires healing ourselves on an individual level so that we can be fortified in the work required to heal our communities.”
This summer, The Crane Wives will captivate audiences throughout North America. First through the Midwest, including an already sold out show in Madison, WI, then to Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, down the East Coast, including another sold out show in Hamden, CT, and concluding in their home state in Ann Arbor, Michigan. See a full list of dates below and get tickets now.
The Crane Wives formed in 2010 and have captivated audiences across hundreds of stages around the U.S. since. The band has built a global community and has amassed over 1M Spotify monthly listeners and 100M total streams with their unparalleled, spirited live show, evocative lyricism and glimmering harmonies. The group has shared stages with The Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Rusted Root, The Dead South, Joseph, and more. In 2017, they won JBL’s “Best American Band Contest” and were named one of Paste Magazine's “12 Michigan Acts You Should Be Listening To Now,” Featured by Michigan Radio and NPR’s “All Songs Considered”, the band has been the recipient of several local accolades such as the WYCE Best Rock/Pop album for their 2016 full-length studio record, Foxlore. Now, in 2024, The Crane Wives prepare to enter an all-new, dynamic phase of their artistic identity where they learn to trust themselves, dive deeper lyrically and take sonic risks like never before.
"Arcturus Beaming," is a sweeping, healing journey of self-improvement where the group balances grief and gratitude at once. Beyond Beyond Beyond, the lush fifth LP by The Crane Wives is due out September 6 and available for pre-order now. Don't miss The Crane Wives live this summer across North America with tickets on sale now here. Connect with the rising rockers now on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X and YouTube.
The Crane Wives
Live Across North America
Summer 2024
06/05 - Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI
06/06 - Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI (SOLD OUT)
06/07 - Amsterdam Bar & Hall - St Paul, MN
06/08 - Englert Theatre - Iowa City, IA
06/09 - Slowdown - Omaha, NE
06/11 - Recordbar - Kansas City, MO
06/13 - Rose Music Hall - Columbia, MO
06/14 - Delmar Hall - St Louis, MO
06/15 - Hi-Fi Annex - Indianapolis, IN
06/29 - Thalia Hall - Chicago, IL
07/15 - Axis Club - Toronto, ON
07/16 - Club Saw - Ottawa, ON
07/17 - La Sala Rosa - Montreal, QC
07/19 - Higher Ground Ballroom - Burlington, VT
07/20 - State Theatre - Portland, ME
07/21 - Royale - Boston, MA
07/23 - Lark Hall - Albany, NY
07/24 - Space Ballroom - Hamden, CT (SOLD OUT)
07/26 - Levon Helm Studio - Woodstock, NY
07/27 - Iron Works - Buffalo, NY
07/28 - Mr Small’s - Pittsburgh, PA
08/15 - The Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO (SOLD OUT)
08/16 - Washington’s - Fort Collins, CO
08/17 - Gothic Theatre - Denver, CO
08/18 - Strings Pavilion - Steamboat Springs, CO
08/20 - Soundwell SLC - Salt Lake City, UT (SOLD OUT)
08/21 - Treefort Music Hall - Boise, ID
08/23 - Wonder Ball Room - Portland, OR (SOLD OUT)
08/24 - South Sound Block Party - Olympia, WA
08/29 - Sonic Lunch - Ann Arbor, MI
Beyond Beyond Beyond (LP) Tracklist
01. Scars
02. Bitter Medicine
03. Higher Ground
04. Predator
05. Say It
06. Mad Dog
07. Arcturus Beaming
08. Time Will Change You
09. Black Hole Fantasy
10. Red Clay
11. River Rushing
The Crane Wives Bio
Born of the 2010’s folk boom and now comfortably stationed in their rock and roll era, The Crane Wives epitomize the evolving sound of the indie genre. Having performed hundreds of shows on stages across the country, they gravitate toward high-energy melodies while their lyrics extol the shadow side of the human condition, delving into mythology and themes of darkness and inner conflict. The band has amassed over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, racking up over 100 million streams on their most popular songs and accumulating listenership from far-flung corners of the US to the UK, Australia, Germany, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, and the Philippines.
Winners of the JBL’s “Best American Band Contest” in 2017 and named one of Paste Magazine's “12 Michigan Acts You Should Be Listening To Now,” The Crane Wives have 5 full-length albums under their belts and have performed over 600 shows across the US, sharing stages with acts such as The Avett Brothers, Lake Street Dive, Rusted Root, The Dead South, Joseph, and many more. Featured by Michigan Radio and NPR’s “All Songs Considered”, the band has been the recipient of several local accolades such as the WYCE Best Rock/Pop album for their last full-length studio record, “Foxlore.”
The pulse of the Crane Wives, Ben Zito (bass) and Dan Rickabus (drums) create a groovy backdrop integral to the band’s sound, while co-leads Emilee Petersmark and Kate Pillsbury duel on electric guitar and strongly-belted vocals. The band softens the blows of their emotional candor with soulful three-part vocal harmonies, like a 21st century Cerberus, the hound of Hades reimagined as an emotional support animal. To date, they have released five full length albums, including their 2020 live album, “Here I Am.”
Their new album, Beyond Beyond Beyond arrives September 6th.
For more information on The Crane Wives, please visit: Website | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | Facebook | Twitter/X | Soundcloud | Bandcamp
All Photos by Dugan Kenaz-Mara ©2024
