(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) – Real Estate brings its considered, melodic pop songs to MASS MoCA in North Adams on Thursday, August 9, 2012, at 8 p.m.. From suburban New Jersey, the band comes with music that echoes the mellow and unique charm of rural life. Real Estate plays lo-fi, summery songs – think Yo La Tengo, the Feelies, and Wilco, all of which have previously performed at MASS MoCA, suggesting the slow evolution of a kind of MASS MoCA sound or aesthetic.

After receiving high praise for its self-titled debut album in 2009 and the release of its sophomore album Days this fall, the band is on a steady and easy rise to greatness, consolidating the breezy sketches of its earlier work into organized, soft, and sentimental numbers. AllMusic commends the band for “finding the bittersweet, whimsical, and poetic in everyday suburban life-the real life behind real estate”.

After years of friendship and musical get-togethers, singer/guitarist Martin Courtney, guitarist Matt Mondanile, and bassist Alex Bleeker formed the band in 2008. Between various singles and the 2009 debut, Real Estate emerged as a talented group in the performing arts community. In 2011, Jackson Poilis and Jonah Maurer joined Real Estate on drums and keys/guitar, respectively, and the band signed with Domino Recording Company. The band reached new heights with its 2011 album Days, a compilation of simple, timeless songs, which surpasses its first album in coherence and vocal courage. Pitchfork Media chose Days as number nine on its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2011. Days captures the essence of Ridgewood, New Jersey, making Real Estate’s lyrics relatable to small-town fans.

Real Estate will perform in MASS MoCA’s Courtyard C Café, or in MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center if it rains. Drinks from the MASS MoCA bar and dinner from Lickety Split are available before and during the show. Tickets for the show are $14 in advance and $18 the day of the show. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 10 to 6 every day. Tickets can also be charged by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours, or purchased online at MASS MoCA.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA is an independent 501 (c)(3) whose operations and programming are funded through admissions and commercial lease revenue, corporate and foundation grants, and individual philanthropy. Except for an initial construction grant from the Commonwealth, and competitive program and operations grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MASS MoCA is privately funded: 90% of annual operating revenues are from earned revenues, membership support, and private gifts and grants.