The band TV on the Radio has cancelled its tour in Europe and the UK. The band’s drummer, Jahphet Landis, is in the hospital. A message was posted on the band’s social media page that stated the drummer would be fine, but he was not able to travel at this moment. “We apologize to all our European & UK fans and we appreciate everyone’s understanding and well wishes for Jahphet at this time,” the Facebook message stated. TV on the Radio’s twelve-date UK and European tour was scheduled to travel to Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Iceland, Scotland, and England. As of now, the band has not announced whether they will reschedule the missed concert dates. The rock band’s US tour will begin on March 15th in Houston, Texas at the House of Blues. The tour is in support of their Seeds album, which was released last year.
TV on the Radio sat down with Spin magazine to discuss the band’s Seeds project. One of the band members, Tunde Adebimpe, discussed the meaning behind the album title. “[Seeds represent] The idea of regeneration or something growing back into place. The record feels like that to me because you have a lot of songs about things absolutely not going well, but they are all sort of uplifting,” Adebimpe told Spin magazine. He added, “It’s not the brighter side of conflict, but you can get through it and you’ll have grown in the process, which goes along with the word seeds.”
In 2011, TV on the Radio’s Gerard Smith died from lung cancer. The band does not discuss Smith’s death publicly, mainly because the band feels their feelings about his death should remain private. The band did dedicate a song to their fallen bandmate entitled “While You’re Here.” TV on the Radio’s first single from their Seeds album is entitled “Happy Idiot.” The record faired well with music critics, and some of the critics had high praise for the record. The band describes “Happy Idiot” as a “feel good” record that represented the mood of the band. Band member, Kyp Malone, discussed the song with Spin magazine. “We’ve made a bunch of different records and they’ve had different personalities. This is the record that makes the most sense for this group right now,” Malone told Spin magazine. He continued, “Like, if you look at my behavior and decisions, I mostly want to feel good.” Seeds was the first album the band recorded without Gerard Smith. It is comforting to know their song “Happy Idiot” could bring a smile to the band members’ faces.