Austra Opens for The XX & Chromatics at The Hollywood Bowl Tonight

Austra will open for THE XX and the CHROMATICS at the Hollywood Bowl tonight, September 29, 2013.

In her latest songs, it shows more than ever that Katie Stelmanis is both romantic and pragmatic. You can hear it in every track of Olympia, released on June 18, which is as baroque and fantastical as ever in its musical composition, completely unconstrained by genre boundaries - yet disarmingly direct in both its infectious hooks and its lyrics.

From early childhood on, Stelmanis' interest was in classical music: she threw herself into learning instruments, and even more so into opera and choral singing - she performed with the Canadian Children's Opera Chorus from the age of ten.

At seventeen her close friend and fellow classical musician Maya Postepski - now percussionist/programmer for Austra - would blast house and techno in the car, which Katie was fascinated by. Maya and Katie would join the band Galaxy together, then in 2009, together with bassist Dorian Wolf, they formed Austra.

Throughout Olympia - Stelmanis' most collaborative effort to date - one can hear her classical songwriting sense of drama, and all the electronic groove that Maya first introduced to her back in their teens. Whether it's the haunting downtempo songs like the miniature "I Don't Care (I'm a Man)" and album opener "What we Done?" or the addictive electropop of "Painful Like" and "We Become," one can hear that electronic pulse throughout. As NPR notes, Olympia "showcases Stelmanis' massive voice and increasingly personal lyrics in style, keeping one foot in the conservatory even as both are occupied on the dance floor."

Subscriptions and single tickets are available now for the Hollywood Bowl 2013 summer season at HollywoodBowl.com or Ticketmaster.com, or via phone at 323.850.2000 or 800.745.3000 and in person at the Hollywood Bowl Box Office.

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