Tulips FTW is excited to host The Deathray Davies with Helium Queens and Buttercup on November 6th, 2026 at your local independent venue!
Doors 7 pm II Concert 8 pm
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Continuing their post-hiatus hot streak, The Deathray Davies are back with LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE, an album that finds John Dufilho and company hurtling through a set of spellbinding pocket symphonies that cull inspiration from vintage garage rock and psychedelic pop nuggets while employing heady musique concrète embellishments and ornate studio wizardry. 2021’s Time Well Wasted ushered in the band’s return following a 15-year hiatus, but this outing reaches back even further for source material; the bones of the record stem from a shelved recording project started in 2006. These excavated sessions were reworked and polished by The Davies, carving out the 13 paisley punk epics that make up the tracklist. With dexterous songwriting, lush instrumental textures, and guest contributions from some Elephant 6 heavyweights, the resulting record is essential listening for the discerning indie rock and roll listener. It arrives via Having Fun / We Are Busy Bodies on November 6, 2026.
The Deathray Davies began in 1999 as a British-invasion influenced (hence the Village Green-indebted name) solo recording project; Dufilho handed all instruments until an offer to perform at Austin’s SXSW left him requiring a live band. Since then, the lineup has consisted of Dufilho, Jason Garner, Kevin Ingle, and a rotating cast of other Texas rockers. The band released five full-lengths throughout their initial tenure before going on hiatus in 2006. The new record picks up right where they left off in the literal sense, with Dufilho and Garner imbuing the recordings they started in the final year of their initial run with reignited ambition and the perspective of age.
LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE was completed at sessions in multiple studios – DRM and Valve in Dallas, Echo Lab in Denton, and Dufilho’s home studio Elephant Cloud, where he handled mixing and mastering duties. The album, for the most part, is performed by Dufilho on guitar/keys and Garner on bass, with the duo trading off on drums and singing in tandem throughout. Live band members Rich Martin, Nick Earl, Andy Lester, and Mike Middleton round out the proceedings, along with collaborators from the initial 2006 sessions – Dufilho’s Apples in Stereo bandmates all contribute vocals, as does the late Olivia Tremor Control co-founder Bill Doss, who also recorded the group of Athens, GA horn players audible on tracks like “Red Lights.” Apples leader Robert Schenider lent a hand in taming the recordings, spending about a week with Dufilho sifting through sessions and making sense of the two-decade old ideas. While one could be tempted to call the album a return to form, it’s more accurately a continuation. The record bears more than a passing resemblance to the Davies’ old material, but every corner is brightened by fresh inspiration; it’s a study in leaving no stone unturned.
Opener “The Ballad of a Lousy Robot” introduces listeners to the kaleidoscopic mix of the record, with raucous drum overdubs and warped vocal effects panned out over a wide stereo field. Standouts like “Factory” and “Monkey” further exemplify the album’s kitchen sink production aesthetic, utilizing buzzing and whirring synthesizers, domestic ephemera, and industrial sounds as liberally as stacked vocal harmonies and melodic guitar stabs. This does not distract from the hooky, infectious songwriting though, best exemplified by tracks like the immediate “Red Lights.” Further nodding to their initial run, parts 8-10 of their ongoing song series “They Stuck Me In a Box In the Ground” are interspersed throughout the tracklist, and contain some of the album’s most clever sonic and lyrical moments. Another highlight comes in “Boy Takes Grandpa to Slayer,” a story song that expertly straddles the line (like many on the record) between wry humour and creeping melancholia. “When Will You Come Home” is one final gem before the curtain call – a toe-tapping number built around galloping piano and cinematic strings, it’s of the very best tracks and a fitting closer.
The band intends to support LAMPSHADE EARTHQUAKE MICROPHONE with tour dates in Fall 2026. They’ve previously toured with acts like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Superdrag, The Breeders, Old 97’s, Starlight Mints, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Dressy Bessy, among others. Their music has been featured on television networks like HBO, MTV, and Channel 4. After a decade and a half off, they’re ready for more. They’ve got it right this time.
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Helium Queens is a power trio from the moon, creating a hybrid of electronica with heavy rock undertones and moments of trip hop. Known for their bright, neon UV show and helium hookah, the band has the ability to unify audiences through an enticing visual spectacle interlaced with dance beats, powerful musical improvisations, and a cunning use of multiple musical genres. Dallas Observer deemed the show, “The Best Drug Free Acid Trip,” and “The Best Live Act,” after their success with numerous sold out shows across North Texas. Earthlings can expect to experience anything from a dance party to a spiritual experience or just a good time with glow sticks, bubbles, and innovative music that will give you new life.
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Buttercup is a life-affirming art-rock band from San Antonio with hundreds of original songs to its name — music NPR calls "jangly art rock for the left side of the brain." Since 2004, the band has released ten records and a documentary film, all while cultivating a fervent following through their singular live performances, which blur the lines between concert, visual art, and performance installation. As Glasstire puts it: "It's an ever widening circle of love really: Sanden sparks something passionate in a stylishly casual way, Reyes and odie contribute a generosity of spirit (not even talking about their musical skills) that honestly makes the band a force for good in the world."
The band will feature Jason Garner (The Polyphonic Spree, The Deathray Davies) on drums.
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