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Not much to say here, but that these are the (I think) FINAL dates for The King Khan & BBQ Show’s upcoming tour in the SE Asia/Australia area. Following these shows will be Mark Sultan as BBQ playing New Zealand, and a select few Oz and Asia (perhaps) dates, to boot. Those dates will be posted later! Thanks!!

1st June – Bangkok, Thailand – Cosmic Club
2nd June – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Wknd
4th June – Osaka, Japan – Shinsaibashi Conpass
5th June – Tokyo, Japan – Shibuya O-Nest
6th June – Hong Kong – Hidden Agenda
7th June – Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Yes No Klub
9th June – Jakarta, Indonesia – SUPERBADD @ Secret Agents
11th June – Melbourne, Australia – The Tote
12th June – Melbourne, Australia – The Tote
13th June – Sydney, Australia – GoodGod Small Club
13th June – Sydney, Australia -shhhhhhh
14th June – Perth, Australia – Deville’s
15th June – Adelaide, Australia – Nexus

YAAAAA

Well, I have to say… THAT was a fun tour! I am talking, of course, about that King Khan & BBQ Show tour we just completed. Everyone was singing along and excited. Shows were mainly soldout. There were some knobs who caused trouble, etc, and we DID get ripped off in our hometown (should never have expected less), but overall, we are really happy. I am not 100% sure if we will remain named ‘The King Khan & BBQ Show’, as there are way too many people who can’t check stuff online, are easily confused, or have ADD, but we will be recording again. As for touring, we’ll be in Australia and Asia starting the end of May – I will post dates when they become CERTAIN, but shit looks good! As for myself, HOZAC just put out my split with Black Lips. Go find it. The label-made cover seems to be a fuck you to both bands. I think I am also finally gonna finish a bunch of songs I started recording in late 2011. Look for that. Also, look for a new Ding-Dongs LP and some 45s. REALLY good stuff. Solo, I will be on tour in New Zealand after the KKBBQ dates, and off to India to record. I now live in Berlin. See you there!
MARK

PHOTO BY – Pooneh Ghana

BIP BOP BIP!

It’s so nice to be home, in Montreal!

Well, that was a fun tour. It was long, too! But it was cool, I that I was able to drive around a lot of the continent with my gf, who has only seen select parts of this wonderful wasteland. I wanna thank everyone who came out to support me and who enjoyed the shows, etc… Out of the shitload of shows that I had managed to play, I only got dicked around once or twice. I think people find that route easy when someone is booking themselves and being ‘DIY’ – sometimes promoters think they won’t incur the same wrath they would if they had fucked with a booking agent. Problem is that I know a lot of people, and love revenge. I tried Las Vegas, even after everyone told me not to, and got kicked in the cunt. New York was a mess. Both times I tried, something happened, the second time I was just deemed ‘uncool’ or whatever, and that’s fine. But ya, the US, for all of its social woes, is an impressive – and often beautiful – country to drive through. I’ve done it a million times, but when you are with people who haven’t seen it (like most things), you develop a newfound appreciation for it.

Alas, I will be paring my one-man band shows down in the future, as I will be mostly chilling out, doing other bands, and being in Europe. Again, thanks to those who ‘get it’, and still a big ‘suck it’ to those who only like my music when it’s in another context.

I gotta say, speaking of other contexts, it was an absolute pleasure playing some US shows with my best pal King Khan. Given all the crap that was said between us, about us, and TO us, finally getting to play a little tour in the US, hanging out, revisiting hijinks etc… was a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out to those shows, and thanks to everyone who allowed my own dates to be shuffled to accommodate these ones. Class.

It was cool to play the Midwest. People were appreciative and really made us feel welcome. I was so stoked that my new car, my Subaru Outback (Cruncher), was so able to make the whole trek, with only a couple of oil changes. Count me as a big fan. But ya, me and Khan have fully rediscovered our love for the music we make, and even if I am invisible in this band no matter what I do, I love playing in it and love the energy we can create. And it seems to make people happy. Well, maybe they will be happier to know that it seems we will be back in the US in April. As well as visiting Australia and Asia, possibly in the summer. With a few European shows thrown in for good measure. Stoked! I think we’ll also be recording a bit, too.

This is all barring end times.

xoxo

MARK

RIP – CHOMPMASTER 2012-2012

And so, a true champion, my 1999 Suzuki wagon, Chompmaster, was passed along to another family this past week. What a great dude. Be well.

But there is some better news – there always is. I just got back from a really cool trip to Europe, via Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. I gotta say, I had been pretty hesitant about the trip, in general. I had started thinking of booking the European leg MONTHS prior, but then had seemingly forgotten or lost interest. So the few dates I had booked, I cancelled, and then kinda lazily booked some other shit ‘in case’. Not many shows, but the shows I did manage to get on my own and thru Kamal and Jonk were pretty fun. I don’t attract people in droves, but generally people are very happy and enthusiastic, now. They are open to my ‘performance’, and mostly ‘get’ where I am coming from. The reactions, sometimes, were really cool – I felt almost like an ‘artist’ (for good or bad), like the music was being heard. I had a good time. What made it all the more entertaining was that the only car I was able to rent (automatic transmission) to drive myself on tour was a 2012/13 BMW sportscar thingy; I’d roll into town and have people rolling their eyes at Mark Sultan ‘the diva asshole’ (as I am known to some) being a Bobo cunt… Best car I have ever driven!

I’m excited to go back in the spring to do a bigger tour and have even more good times.

CLICK ON THE ABOVE PHOTO!!!!

The trip also marked a spiritual reconnect with my brother King Khan and his wonderful family. My woman and I stayed for almost two weeks, and it was really nice to be back. And then we practiced and made some new songs. It felt like 2003 all over again. Real inspiring and electric. And then ‘The King Khan & BBQ Show’ played in Berlin at Festsaal. It was a great show! We played a million songs and the energy in the room was crackling. The show was almost like a little test – could we tour again? Can we record? Stand each other? YES. And I am proud to announce that we, in fact, will be playing a string of super last-minute US shows in late November/early December (dates are below). Let me clarify – some dates are begrudgingly gonna be done thru sponsors. This was not my idea or something I am comfortable with, but this is a democracy, and I understand these shows are being done last-minute for reasons more important than my usual holier-than-thou bullshit could sway. Beside that, I can honestly say that the energy is very much like what we could achieve at our peak a few years back, cuz we love each other and are excited about the music again. So tell your friends. We are one of the greatest rock’n’roll bands of this century. True story.

Back to my trip to Reunion: what a great experience. So, Reunion is an island off of Madagascar owned by France. It’s Dodo lived on neighbouring Mauritius, apparently, which I had no idea about, even though my tour shirts had a Dodo on them (?!). It’s tropical, has shark attacks on its beautiful beaches, has a giant volcano or two (one of which I climbed), cool waterfalls, great food, Creole folks (I played a school to some pretty unimpressed teens, but probably made at least one kid think for a sec, which was awesome), and the usual white folks listening to Bob Marley and playing hacky sack. It was great! Lagoons, whales, great food… Ok, the shows were kinda weird, but the experience was something I will always remember. Thanks Olivier and your wonderful family! People always tell me how ‘lucky’ I am, that I can travel all of the time, and live how I want. My usual response is that I work(ed) hard for the meagre ‘career’ I have, that I sacrificed a lot to aggressively pursue the thing I loved, that anyone can do what they want. But ya, sometimes I do agree: I am pretty lucky.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support.
Here are the upcoming Tour Dates!

OCTOBER
26th – Providence, RI – Dusk
27th – Manhattan, NYC – Boat Show
30th – Durham, NC – Motorco
31st – Asheville, NC – The Get Down

NOVEMBER
1st – Atlanta, GA – Star Bar
3rd – New Orleans, LA – Siberia
5th – Austin, TX – Beerland
8th – Las Vegas, NV – Beauty Bar
9th – Desert Hot Springs, CA – Dillon’s Roadhouse
10th – Los Angeles, CA – Blue Star
12th – Monterey, CA – Golden State Theatre
13th – San Francisco, CA – The Knockout
16th – Seattle, WA – Rendezvous
17th – Vancouver, BC – Astoria
19th – Calgary, AB – The Commonwealth
20th – Edmonton, AB – Wunderbar
22nd – Winnipeg, MN – Windsor Hotel
23rd – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
24th – St Paul, MN – Turf Club **
26th – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle **
28th – Omaha, NE – The Slowdown **
29th – Iowa City, IA – The Mill **
30th – St Louis, MO – Off Broadway **

DECEMBER
1st – Bloomington, IN – Russian Recording**
3rd – Nashville, TN – Exit/In**
4th – Columbus, OH – Ace Of Cups**
5th – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig**
7th – Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
8th – Boston, MA – Starlab
15th – Montreal, QC – Casa del Popolo

** as ‘The King Khan & BBQ Show’

Yes, I am touring again. This time, I am excited to be crossing a lot of the continent to show folks that I have hit my stride! I AM pretty good at what I do, now, and will not be making oompah beats, shouting monotone into a 50′s replica mic while wearing a mask – i will be performing MUSIC and ‘art’! Like a band! Real, assorted rock’n'roll jams, real songs, non-stop, chaotic, stream-of-consciousness soul. Come join me. If you don’t like it or if it bores you, np, there’s always the bar to chat at – just give it a chance. But if you slip into the ether with me, I promise an experience, as well as my heart. Deal? Deal.
I carry the antibody, it just isn’t televised.

This past summer was a busy time for Mark Sultan. After playing the beachtowns of Reunion Island, off of Madagascar, climbing volcanoes and headbutting marine life, he toured Europe and blew a couple of minds. Considered be some as one of the best one-man bands in the world by some, he further separated himself from the pack at these recent shows. An upcoming US tour sees him guesting at Carnegie Hall and playing on the Hudson River in the same night, then crossing the continent like a maniac. One of the finest voices in many years, with an endless thread of musical gems. Do not miss out.

‘The War On Rock N Roll’ Is Available Through In The Red Records
Or As A Free Download At:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ig369z6yv31qja3

…a criminally underappreciated garage rock cult hero who puts on a one-man-band live show so sincerely passionate that he makes most primitive rock ’n’ roll revivalists look like cynical imposters….anyone who believes in him needs to pick up this one-take improvised stream-of-consciousness limited-edition live album…deranged but brilliant
– NOW Toronto

Listen to exclusive track, ‘Oh, Summertime’, on RollingStone.com
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mark-sultan-oh-summertime-20120524

There are no gimmicks, and his heart is on the line. This really is art and it may be respectable, but it’s got the sexual primitivism of old rock’n'roll without sacrificing heart, earworms or intensity. Not only does he sound like a whole band, but his disregard for conventional time signatures, uniformity and concert structure, makes the show all the more special, as does his disembodied and soulful vocals. An absolute must.
– We Crime, Belgium

…wildly prolific…what differentiates his stuff is his genuine sense of tune-craft….
– LA Weekly