Salami Rose Joe Louis Shares 'Arm Fell Asleep,' Now on Tour With Sungazer
Listen to her new song "Arm fell asleep," now.
By: Josh Sharpe Jan. 23, 2025
The brilliant Salami Rose Joe Louis returns for further adventures in experimental dream pop, while also sharing the news of upcoming tour dates supporting Sungazer.
Her new single “Arm fell asleep” follows a person steering a ship through a storm, who experiences their own arm fall victim to the song’s title. “I was reflecting on a period in my life when I had lost agency in my life and forgot my strength and ability to steer my ship to safety,” explains Olsen. “It is a terrifying thing to be so under the influence of hegemonic forces that a part of you falls asleep. In the final section of this song, the person emerges back on land, limbs awake, but despite their return to safety, they are pretty bedraggled and are freshly confronted with the complexity of reality: their body is weak, they are overwhelmed by social etiquette, and how to heal in a fast paced, ruthless environment.”
Previously earning praise from The New York Times, Paste, Crack Mag, The Guardian, Bandcamp (“glowing bouquets of homespun electric jazz and soul”), and The FADER (“an electrified passage of fusion perfection”), Olsen conjures her utterly inimitable sound from her long term musical partner – the Roland MV8800 lovingly nicknamed FunFunFun. This iconic sampler and synthesizer has long been her principal instrument but in a twist to her modus operandi, for “Arm fell asleep” she made a pact with herself to not use a computer at any cost so the song was entirely composed, produced, arranged and mixed on the MV8800.
“It was a hilariously involved process,” she says. “But I experienced a breakthrough that catalyzed a new chapter in my production journey and the end result I am proud of – a song that captures the quaintness and nostalgic quality of the MV8800, yet there is more intricacy and intention than I have been able to achieve in past MV8800 productions.”
Olsen, who’s sharpened her chops touring for the likes of Flying Lotus, TuneYards, and Toro y Moi among others, is back on the road supporting Sungazer on their North American tour as 2025 gets underway, having proved herself a charismatic and adventurous bandleader, leading her all-star ensemble into new territories. With her innovative production style and captivating live shows, Salami Rose Joe Louis continues to push the boundaries of alternative/electronic/jazz music.
Live shows North America [supporting Sungazer]
Jan 22 – Mahall's, Cleveland, OH
Jan 23 – Summit Music Hall, Columbus, OH
Jan 24 – Outset, Chicago, IL
Jan 25 – The HiFi, Indianapolis, IN
Jan 26 – Old Rock House, St. Louis, MO
Jan 28 – Crosstown Arts, Memphis, TN
Jan 29 – The Vinyl Lounge, Nashville, TN
Jan 30 – Terminal West, Atlanta, GA
Jan 31 – Motorco, Raleigh, NC
Feb 01 – 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Feb 02 – Thunderbird Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
About Salami Rose Joe Louis
Salami Rose Joe Louis aka Lindsay Olsen is a genre traveler multi-instrumentalist female producer and a signee to Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder label. She produces and records pretty much exclusively on her beloved Roland MV8800, nicknamed “Funfunfun”. Her debut record with Brainfeeder in 2019, Zdenka 2080, is a critically acclaimed, conceptual sci-fi epic that earned an Album of the Year nomination at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards.
Since then, she has toured the world supporting genre-bending luminaries Flying Lotus, The Cinematic Orchestra, Toro y Moi, TuneYards, Clairo, and MNDSGN. Her 2023 album Akousmatikous is a follow-up sci-fi odyssey to Zdenka 2080 that blends emotional intensity with sonic experimentation. Her storytelling attempts to confront and explore a range of subjects such as climate change, the power of imagery, propaganda, depression, societal greed, isolation, and the trappings of societal conditioning.
Recent collaborations include a feature on Toro y Moi's Mahal, a remix for Hiatus Kaiyote, and the 2024 collab album extravaganza Sarah with legendary Philadelphian, Flanafi. 2024 also yielded a spellbinding live EP – Salami Live at 2131 North Kacey Street – reinterpreting some of her classic songs with a dynamic quartet, capturing the energetic intensity and improvisational magic of their joined sounds together. With her innovative production style and captivating live shows, Salami Rose Joe Louis continues to push the boundaries of alternative/electronic/jazz music.
Photo Credit: Flanafi
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