Mute have today announced the signing of legendary guitarist and Sonic Youth founding member Lee Ranaldo. Lee’s new solo album, Electric Trim, will be released later this year in September and will be supported by a string of US tour dates (dates below).
The album was produced by Barcelona-based Raul Fernandez who also worked on Ranaldo’s solo album Acoustic Dust. Thanks to the hard work of Fred Riedel and Jerry Fried who both went to school with Ranaldo at the State University of New York-Binghamton, fans will be able to see the creative process behind the new album with their fly on the wall documentary.
The documentary, titled Hello Hello Hello : Lee Ranaldo : Electric Trim, took a year to shoot and includes footage of Fernandez and Ranaldo working on the album at the studio in Hoboken, Echo Canyon West. It also features Ranaldo chatting to the novelist Jonathan Lethem who wrote some of the lyrics. Other collaborators include Nels Cline (Wilco), Kid Millions (Oneida), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Alan Licht, and vocalist Sharon Van Etten.
The documentary will screen this Friday and Saturday at the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey.
At a Q&A at Clairidge Theater in Montclair, New Jersey he told the audience it was one of the most fun projects he had worked on which brought about really interesting and unexpected results.
Regarding his signing with Mute, Lee says, “I’m thrilled to have Mute releasing my new album, I am so excited about this record, I think it’s possibly the best thing I’ve ever done. I look forward to working with Mute friends old and new and getting this music heard.”
Lee Ranaldo 2017 Tour (with Steve Gunn & Meg Baird)
13th June – Richmond, VA – Broadberry
14th June – Carrboro, NC – Arts Center
15th June – Athens, GA – 40 Watt
16th June – Atlanta, GA – Smith’s Olde Bar
17th June – Birmingham, AL – Saturn
18th June – New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
19th June – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
20th June – Dallas, TX – Sons of Hermann Hall
21st June – Austin, TX – The North Door
23rd June – Oxford, MS – Proud Larry’s
24th June – Nashville, TN – The Anchor
Photo Credit: Alex Rademakers