Andy Frasco & The U.N. have released “Birthday Song,” a psychedelic birthday anthem that sees Frasco, along with a circus of animals including a monkey drinking whiskey, enjoying a birthday celebration. “Birthday Song” is available now at all DSPs and streaming services and comes from the new album, L’Optimist, arriving via Fun Machine Records/Soundly Music on Friday, August 11. Pre-orders are available now.
“We were bored of all the birthday songs that we’ve been singing our whole lives so we thought, why not revamp a classic tradition A.F.U.N. style,” says Frasco. ‘Birthday Song’ is a psychedelic rock ‘n roll anthem for anyone celebrating a birthday.”
LISTEN TO “BIRTHDAY SONG”
PRE-ORDER L’OPTIMIST
Frasco’s sixth released studio album and most hopeful and enthusiastic collection thus far, L’Optimist also includes the previously released songs, “You Do You” and “Iowa Moon.”
LISTEN TO “IOWA MOON”
LISTEN TO “YOU DO YOU”
“YOU DO YOU” OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
A much-beloved live outfit renowned for unbridled improvisation, audience interaction, surprising covers, special guests, and animated antics unlike any other, Andy Frasco & The U.N. will celebrate L’Optimist with a stacked live schedule including a just-announced headline run getting underway September 28 at East Lansing, MI’s Hall 224 and then continuing through mid-December. In the meantime, Frasco will spend the summer traveling America on a wide-ranging itinerary that features headline dates, top-billed festival appearances, and an eagerly awaited double bill supporting Slightly Stoopid set for August 13 at Morrison, CO’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Additional dates will be announced. For complete details and ticket information, please visit www.andyfrasco.com/tour.
ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N. – TOUR 2023
JULY
13 – Rochester, NY – Party in the Park *
14 – Buffalo, NY – Cobblestone Live! *
26 – Victor, ID – Knotty Pine
27 – Salmon, ID – Sweet Water Hollow +
28 – Livingston, MT – Pine Creek Lodge +
29 – Ketchum, ID – Argyros Performing Arts Center +
AUGUST
1 – Durango, CO – Animas City Theatre +
2 – Grand Junction, CO – Mesa Theater †
3 – Triple A SummitFest – Boulder, CO
4 – Steamboat Springs, CO – Snow Bowl Steamboat
5 – Telluride, CO – Sheridan Opera House †
6 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up Aspen †
11 – Yuba, WI – People Fest *
13 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ++
17-19 – Thornville, OH – Secret Dreams Music & Arts Festival *
25-27 – Chicago, IL – Cultivate *
30 – Denver, CO – Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast & No Simple Road LIVE TAPING at Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox
SEPTEMBER
2 – Emporia, KS – Halfway to Everywhere *
7- Des Moines – xBk Live +
8 – Urbana, IL – Canopy Club $
9 – Indianapolis, IN – All In Music & Arts Festival *
10 – St. Louis, MO – Music At The Intersection *
15-17 – Greenfield, MA – Wormtown Music Festival
22-23 – Lafayette, NY – Tumble Down at Wonderland Forest
28 – E. Lansing, MI – Hall 224 ^^
30 – Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre ^^
OCTOBER
1 – Washington, DC – Atlantis ^^
4 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom ^^
8 – Portland, ME – Bayside Bowl ^^
11 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry ^^
27-31 – Miami, FL – Bert Kreischer’s Fully Loaded at Sea
NOVEMBER
2 – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl ††
4 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse ††
5 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre ††
8 – London, UK – The Lexington
9 – Utrecht, NL – De Helling
DECEMBER
2 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom $
5 – Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Hall ##
6 – Tulsa, OK – The Vanguard ##
7 – Austin, TX – Mohawk @
8 – Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co. ##
9 – Houston, TX – Last Concert Cafe ##
10 – Baton Rouge, LA – Chelsea’s Live
16 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge @
* Festival Appearance
+ An Evening With (2 Sets)
© w/ Special Guest Cosmic Collective
^ w/Special Guest Kind Hearted Strangers
# w/Special Guest Joe Samba
** w/ Special Guest Chris Diller
† w/Special Guest Tenth Mountain Division
++ w/ Slightly Stoopid
^^ w/ Special Guest Cool Cool Cool
†† w/ Special Guest Doom Flamingo
## w/ Special Guest Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers
@ w/ Special Guest Maggie Rose
$ w/ Special Guest Dogs In A Pile
A testament to Frasco’s wide-ranging influences and boundless energy, L’Optimist sees the magnetic frontman continuing to chart his path of self-exploration and personal discovery through increasingly introspective lyricism and musical adventure. Recorded in Nashville, Los Angeles, and other cities, the album sees Frasco and the core U.N. roster – comprising guitarist Shawn Eckels, saxophonist Ernie Chang, drummer Andee Avila, and bassist/multi-instrumentalist Floyd Kellogg – joined by production and writing contributions from friends and studio collaborators including Kellogg, Kenny Carkeet (AWOLNATION, Anti-Flag), Chris Gelbuda (Robert Randolph Feat. Darius Rucker, Meghan Trainor), Cason Cooley (Needtobreathe, Ingrid Michaelson), Paul McDonald (Grand Magnolias, Vince Herman), and Harlem-based singer-songwriter Caleb Hawley, along with guest appearances by alternative hip-hop duo Little Stranger and the Southern Florida-based reggae collective Artikal Sound System.
Restless though it may be, L’Optimist sees Frasco fully in command of his craft, more comfortable and confident than ever before, his notorious party-animal persona giving way to a wiser, but no less enthusiastic, artist and band leader. Frasco once again challenged himself to explore difficult lyrical terrain, spanning relationships and chronic depression, empathy and alienation, inspired in part by his first real girlfriend. Songs like the deeply moving “Iowa Moon” touch on matters of the heart and mental health, emotional struggle and the sheer vulnerability of the human experience, all relayed through a wildly eclectic approach navigating funk, jazz, surf rock, blues, swing, gospel, reggae, exotica, and more with horn-blasted positivity and soulful power.
Truly a creative force to be reckoned with, Andy Frasco & The U.N. have long spent seemingly all their time on the road, performing more than 200 shows each year, as Atwood Magazine wrote, “spreading their bohemian philosophy of finding joy from existing in the moment.” Frasco also somehow finds time to host Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast and cater to his nearly 1M monthly dance party views on Twitch. L’Optimist now sees Frasco continuing to develop as a songwriter, band leader, and human being, his exploratory spirit giving way to something more firmly grounded yet no less adventurous. Having built a still-expanding career on forward motion, Andy Frasco remains positive in his determination to keep on keeping on, pushing himself and his music to grow and improve with every passing day.
“With so much bad news in the world, why not try to figure out a way to get out of the darkness,” Frasco says. “We’re not going to be able to change the world, but at least we can change the mind state we have moving forward. We can at least help the process along by being optimistic that the future will turn itself around. And if everyone changes their mind state about the future, then maybe we can change the world.”
ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N.
L’OPTIMIST
(Fun Machine Records/Soundly Music)
Release Date: Friday, August 11, 2023
Tracklist:
Oh What A Life (Feat. Little Stranger)
You Do You
Love All of Me
Iowa Moon
Birthday Song
Lost and Found
Busted Nose
Nothing That I Wouldn’t Do
Everything Bagel (Feat. Artikal Sound System)
Miss Getting High
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