Floating Action returns to Emerald Lounge

Floating Action‘s had a busy year, which hasn’t left much time for local shows. Luckily, the band’s taking a breather from the road this weekend and treating local fans to the soulful, lo-fi surf rock it’s been blasting up and down the East Coast all summer and fall.

Photo by Christopher Wilson

The eclectic smorgasbord goes down tonight at Emerald Lounge, where Kauffman and Co. will greet Asheville crowds for the first time since July. For newcomers, here’s a short review of it’s latest album, Fake Blood, originally posted in September:

“Fans of the band will no doubt be pleased. Fake Blood picks up where Dessert Etiquette and Floating Action left off: yet another lo-fi, groove-heavy masterpiece of vintage soul rhythms and bright, surf rock licks by musical mastermind Seth Kauffman, who writes and records the entirety of the albums on his own. That said, there’s no succinct way to pin down the singular Seth Kauffman aesthetic, and the album runs the gamut of genres, with hints of Western country, reggae, gospel, garage rock, R&B and psychedelia. Basically, name a genre and it’s lurking somewhere beneath the surface.”

Loyal readers know all about the band’s previously hinted at exploits but, for those who don’t, here’s a recap to get you up to speed:

• For years, Dr. Dog has plugged Floating Action just about every chance it gets. The former labelmates are longtime friends (the two even released an split 7” where they covered one another’s songs), and no Dr. Dog show in Asheville is complete without an appearance by Seth Kauffman. This year, though, the Philadelphia rockers amped up their praise of the band, and the love spread with a quickness.

• In early summer, My Morning Jacket‘s Jim James posted a handful of Floating Action remixes, calling 2011’s Dessert Etiquite “a relatively unknown masterwork of our times.” Check out one of the remixes here.

• Its latest record, Fake Blood, was released on James’ Removador Recordings in September (a co-release with Harvest Recordings).

• In July, the band performed at Louisville’s Forecastle Music Festival, where James unexpectedly and quite enthusiastically joined FA for two songs, singing backing vocals and inexplicably reading a passage from Dennis Rodman’s autobiography during an instrumental break. (It’s worth noting that after the set, Fruit Bats frontman Eric Johnson, a major force in the Pacific Northwest indie rock scene, confided that he was a recent convert to Floating Action and planned to “do everything [he] possibly can to help these guys.”) The following day, FA was invited to James’ house, because, you know, they’re just that cool.

• In September, FA hit the East Coast for a weeklong tour that included stops in Charlottesville, Philadelphia and New York.

• Last month, the band got another high-profile endorsement when it joined Band of Horses for a string of Southeast dates (several stops included cameos from BOH members).

• In October, FA recorded its latest video for the bouncy rock anthem “Matador,” donning some painfully bright athletic garb for a surprisingly athletic shoot. The video is tentatively scheduled for release next week, so stay tuned for more on that.

• My Morning Jacket recently announced a three-night stand at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y., set for the end of December. Openers include Deer Tick, Antibalas and, you guessed it, Floating Action.

Got all that?

Floating Action plays The Emerald Lounge on Saturday, Nov. 3. 9 p.m. $10. Cabinet opens.