Black Belt Eagle Scout - "Loss & Relax"

Photo by Eleanor Petry

Black Belt Eagle Scout (aka Portland based artist Katherine Paul) has released a new single called "Loss & Relax." "Loss & Relax" was originally meant to be included on last year's album Mother of My Children but was not on the album as it continued to evolve. The final version is a lush and exquisite folk song, at least at first. While it may start off as folk, the song slowly builds and progresses, reaching an almost hard rock crescendo. 

Katherine Paul explains the song: “As I was writing the guitar line, I kept seeing the water of the Salish Sea and the local ferries drifting people in and out of place. Ferries are such a beautiful part of my childhood and served as a major form of transportation. Thinking about my home and how canoes have turned into ferries is a sad, but also beautiful thought. Nowadays with Canoe Journeys, canoes are alongside ferries, roaming our waters to lands, sharing customs and culture. That is what I think about now when I listen to the fully recorded version of the song. I see a strong and fierce community of my people continuing to thrive in whatever comes our way. That is how I feel about myself, a survivor and thriver of this land, a water protector, a womxn, the future.”

You can watch the video for "Loss & Relax" below. The song will be released as a 7" with b-side "Half Colored Hair" on April 26. You can pre-order a copy here. For more on Black Belt Eagle Scout, check out their website. Current tour dates are below the video.

Thu. April 18 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Total Drag Records
Fri. April 19 - Madison, WI @ Communication #
Sat. April 20 - Bloomington, IN @ Culture Shock ^
Mon. April 22 - Athens, OH @ Union Bar and Grill
Tue. April 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade *
Wed. April 24 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
Thu. April 25 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s *
Fri. April 26 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott *
Sat. April 27 - Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB *
Sun. April 28 - Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern *
Tue. April 30 - Washington, DC @ DC9 *
Wed. May 1 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter *
Thu. May 2 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle - Back Room *
Thu. May 3 - Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor *
Sat. May 4 - Atlanta, GA @ 529 Club *
Mon. May 6 - Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records *
Tue. May 7 - Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
Wed. May 8 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s *
Thu. May 9 - Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry *
Fri. May 10 - Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge *
Sat. May 11 - Kansas City, MO @ recordBar *
Mon. May 13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge *
Tue. May 14 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge *
Fri. May 17 - Vancouver, BC @ The Fox Cabaret *
Sat. May 18 - Everett, WA @ Fisherman’s Village Music Festival *
Sat. May 18 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern *
Sun. May 19 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios *
Tue. May 21 - San Francisco, CA @ Swedish American Hall *
Wed. May 22 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy *
Thu. May 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom *
Mon. June 3 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada *
Tue. June 4 - Austin, TX @ Barracuda *
Wed. June 5 - Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
Thu. June 6 - New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa *
Thu. Aug. 1 - Sun. Aug. 4 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon
 
# = w/ Disq
^ = w/ Lala Lala
*= w/ Julia Jacklin