Emo trio BOAT RACE WEEKEND from Spokane, WA will release their new EP Throw Your Head to the World! on October 14th, but you can hear the full stream early at New Noise Magazine and below. Guitarist/vocalist Evan Kruschke works through anxiety and negativity on the four introspective tracks and hopes his words may help others do the same. Throw Your Head to the World! was engineered, mixed, and mastered by Dawson Scholz (The Ongoing Concept) at Talk Studios in Rathdrum, Idaho. The cover photo was shot by Gianluigi Fiori, a bar owner in Italy that Kruschke came to know after spending some time performing in the country.
“The title ‘Throw Your Head to the World!’ comes from the book You ‘Shall Know Our Velocity!’ by Dave Eggers,” says Kruschke. “The title’s meaning is two-fold for me and reflect the general theme of the songs in the EP. The first is about ridding yourself of all the negative mental processes that act as a barrier and a weight. Things like anxiety, worry, guilt and shame that can get in the way of living a productive life. It’s up to you work through these things, to use them productively so they don’t cripple you. That’s the ‘Throw Your Head’ part. The next part has to do with throwing your head ‘To the World.’ I believe that if I can take all these struggles and feelings and mistakes I’m working through, and share with you how I worked through them, that I can help you. And I believe you can do the exact same thing for me. It’s sharing the struggle and putting yourself out into the world so that you might be grace to others. It’s a colossal and difficult thing to do. That’s why I chose and love the cover of the EP. The boy is looking out into this huge lake. I like to think he’s trying to make a choice; to challenge himself and proceed forward into the unknown where he will experience growth, or turn back to the familiar safety of the shore where nothing new will be learned.”
Boat Race Weekend is an indie/alternative band based in Spokane , WA, comprised of three childhood best friends. Drummer Jay Orth, guitarist/singer Evan Kruschke, and bassist Collin Price attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA where they were asked to perform at a University event on short notice. They had to form a band and learn 9 cover songs in one week. When told that they had to have a band name, they jokingly came up with Boat Race Weekend after their favorite, legendary hometown event, the hydroplane races. The band then went on to perform at more Gonzaga events and house shows. Eventually, the trio began writing original music and performing around Spokane and throughout the Pacific Northwest. The band released their debut album, The Talisman in March 2015 which was featured on Indie Rock Cafe’s “Best DIY music of 2015”. The band’s live energetic performances earned them a place on Music Connection’s “Hot Live and Unsigned Bands of 2015”. Boat Race Weekend has constantly been playing shows throughout Washington, Idaho, and Oregon and has performed with bands such as The Story So Far, Comeback Kid, and Listener. The new EP “Throw Your Head to the World!” was recorded in rural Rathdrum, ID and was produced by The Ongoing Concept’s Dawson Scholz.
