Our very own Kurt Vile will be the opening act for the so-hot-right-now Panda Bear in Europe. Tickets are like gold-dust so be prepared to beg, steal or barter your soul for this.

March
10th – Cabaret Sauvage, Paris (with Panda Bear)
11th – Heaven, London (with Panda Bear)
12th – Vicar Street, Dublin (with Panda Bear)

(Kurt photo by Shawn Brackbill; Panda photo from muzikid. Photoshop skills by Annette Lee)

The flyer above pretty much says it all, but if your browser’s not displaying images or you have trouble with military time (and are also unaware of how the subject line of a blog post relates to the content of said post), here are the pertinent details: Fucked Up of Toronto, ON and Kurt Vile of Philadelphia, PA are paying visits to the latter city’s own WKDU before tonight’s show at the Barbary, and each will be treating your ears to a live session at 91.7FM or wkdu.org. Fucked Up plays at around 2:30PM EST (it’s college radio, we thrive on uncertainty in this biz), and Kurt follows at 5:30PM EST (or thereabout).

In addition to the opportunity to see the FU & KV show tonight in Philly, there are a few more chances to see this dynamic duo in action:

Wed-Feb-17 Philadelphia, PA Barbary
Thu-Feb-18 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s
Fri-Feb-19 Brooklyn, NY Europa
Sat-Feb-20 Boston, MA Middle East Downstairs

Those of you looking for a more permanent way to spend time with the aforementioned artists (though when you get right down to it, is anything really permanent) should click on over to the Matastore to purchase the latest Fucked Up and Kurt Vile jams, both of which come highly recommended by the discriminating music fans of Philadelphia and the world.

A mere two days after Kurt’s free Bloomington instore (scroll down, dude) he’s hitting Baltimore with a very awesome, very free solo instore performance.

Tuesday February 16 @ 6pm
The Sound Garden
1616 Thames St.
Baltimore
410 563 9011

Check it out… then check him out with The Violators (and Fucked Up!!!) at Ottobar later that night.

I hear the midwest is about to get Apollo Creed-ed with snow (yes, I just used a Rocky character in the future perfect tense. So what?). So rather than curling up by a soft focus fireplace with your brand new his and her Sunggies, why not take your Valentine to a free Kurt Vile instore?

Sunday February 14 @ 4pm
Landlocked Music
202 N. Walnut St.
Bloomington, IN
812 339 2574

And if your sweetie’s idea of romance isn’t spending the afternoon in a record store, then break up with them immediately and check out Kurt (with Fucked Up) that night at The Bluebird.

Though you’d be inclined to say we’re biased, we certainly cannot argue with J. Mascis’ listing Kurt Vile’s Childish Prodigy in his top picks for 2009. Following the kind plug, Dinosaur Jr. will be taking Kurt Vile & The Violators on tour this month:

• Fri-Jan-15 Milford, CT Daniel Street
• Sat-Jan-16 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
• Sun-Jan-17 Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg
• Tue-Jan-19 Ithaca, NY Castaways

And don’t forget that Kurt is poised to hit the road with Fucked Up in February:

• Fri-Feb-12 Oberlin, OH The ‘Sco (Dionysus Disco) / Oberlin College
• Sat-Feb-13 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
• Sun-Feb-14 Bloomington, IN The Video Saloon
• Mon-Feb-15 Cincinnati, OH Southgate House
• Tue-Feb-16 Baltimore, MD Otto Bar
• Wed-Feb-17 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary
• Thu-Feb-18 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s
• Fri-Feb-19 Brooklyn, NY Europa
• Sat-Feb-20 Boston, MA Middle East
• Sun-Feb-21 Montreal, QUE La Sala Rossa
• Fri-Feb-26 Toronto, ONT Opera House

Finally, Kurt will be appearing in Philadelphia tomorrow, with the awesomely-returned Strapping Fieldhands

• Fri-Jan-08 Philadelphia, PA  Johnny Brenda’s

**photo culled from michael allen goldberg’s flickr

Friends, Romans, Chicagoans… forget what these guys say, there is no better way to nurse your New Years hangover than with a free instore.

Stop by Permanent Records at 2pm on the first day of the new decade for a very special solo instore by Kurt Vile.

Your friends at Permanent will be providing free pizza, dark beers, big bowls of Excedrin, Bloody Marys, Mimosas and sunglasses… everything you need to beat that throbbing hangover.

Permanent Records
1914 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, Il
773.278.1744

And don’t forget, Kurt is opening for The Black Keys at the Riviera on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day (night).

Kurt’s on at 11pm, you lucky, lucky people.

There’s only one professional sports team that I dislike more than the Anaheim Promise-Keepers and that’s the hometown crew in pinstripes.

So as a Philly ex-pat living in New York, I’m more siked than most for the Fung Wa Bus series.

And like many in Philly, I’m on the Chooch Train.

While we’re pretty sure Kurt has not endorsed the following clip, I’m sure the kids over in Fishtown, out the Main Line and straight up Broad Street do.

I was fortunate enough to catch a white hot Kurt Vile & The Violators set in Portland Sunday evening (supported by the always impressive Eat Skull) and while KV&V’s expansive take on things is a full-fledged sensory experience, there’s something to be said for the subtle approach of Kurt solo, too.  And with that, we’ve got a couple of clips from The Fader, a version of “He’s Alright”, and the above performance of “Slow Talkers”, featuring a bit of crucial family history (thanks to Nils for the links)

(‘Childish Prodigy’, LP/CD or digital album available from The Matador Store)

Yes!

So today sees the Pitchfork TV premiere of the psychseizure video for KV’s “Freak Train” from the just-released “Childish Prodigy” (buy it here).

Also, by all means watch a bunch of old people rip on “Hunchback”. Almost as insightful as this review.

Not trick-or-treating at the end of the month? No worries. Along his current route, Kurt Vile is making a stop in Dallas for a very special Halloween extravaganza. Dress up for KV & The Violators, The Aquaholics, and Giggle Party– All Ages (but more fun if you’re 21+) @ The Lounge on Elm Street. He will be playing plenty of tracks off his new record, Childish Prodigy, which will be available to purchase!

It’s Tuesday, which means records are in stores… today, October 6, we have new albums from Kurt Vile and Mission Of Burma.

Kurt Vile Childish Prodigy

Kurt Vile is an evocative, textural young singer-songwriter from Philadelphia. He is already well known for his debut album, Constant Hitmaker, released on the tiny but historic Gulcher label, as well as a slew of singles and 12″es on labels from Woodsist to Mexican Summer.

His Matador debut, Childish Prodigy, is an altogether more serious affair. Opening with the pounding Hunchback, it continues through a varied set of tracks ranging from gorgeous little folk pieces (Overnite Religion) to all-out jams (Freak Train). The record has incredible depth and beauty to it – as well as sound “quality” all over the map, from lo-fi to hi-fi – and unlike so many albums today, rewards repeated listens.

The Breakfast at Sulimay’s folks as well as the team at United Way didn’t get Kurt at all, which can only be a good thing. Touchpoints range from Seger to Springsteen to Sonic Boom. See Kurt Vile with his Violators tour the US starting

Vinyl is RTI HQ-120 gram with MP3 coupon including 2 bonus tracks.

Buy at Amazon
Buy at Matador Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at iTunes

Mission Of Burma The Sound The Speed The Light

The fourth studio album from Mission Of Burma is The Sound The Speed The Light, a compact 12-song piece of guitar architecture in the tradition of their second album, Vs. It blasts out of the gate with the unusually tuneful 1, 2, 3, Partyy! (video debuting today – WATCH IT) and continues through moody ballads like Forget Yourself, Feed, Slow Faucet through to the volcanic energy of Good Cheer.

It’s two days after Boston City Council resolved that Sunday, October 4 was Mission Of Burma Day. Support these stalwarts of modern music, titans of our age, watch the new video below, and then buy the record.

Vinyl is RTI HQ-120 gram including MP3 coupon.

Buy at Newbury Comics
Buy at Amazon
Buy at Matador Store
Buy at eMusic
Buy at iTunes

And don’t forget, there’s an essential 7″ already out that contains 2 new songs that are conceptually part of the album, in the words of Roger Miller. It’s called Innermost, and you can find it on the Matador Store, as well as most of the fine retailers listed above.

For all of Matador’s upcoming releases, check the Release Schedule page.

photo by Shawn Brackbill

It’s a good week to be a Kurt Vile fan. Fresh from the weekend’s pair of Philly shows, Mr. Vile will be playing a solo acoustic set on WNYU’s New Afternoon Show starting at 4:30 PM Eastern. Tune in at 89.1 FM in New York, or online at wnyu.org.

The Kurt Vile excitement train continues with tomorrow’s release of his Matador debut, Childish Prodigy (which you can still stream here), and two live NYC performances on Wednesday, October 7: a solo performance for WFMU’s 7 Second Delay Live at the UCB Theater, and a headlining show (with The Violators) at Mercury Lounge. Full tour, and world domination, to follow.

Kurt photo taken without permission from Make This Yellow’s Flickr

Kurt and his Violators cross the pond this December for a criminally short tour. Blink and you’ll miss them.

10th December – Primavera Club @ Sidecar, Barcelona (Spain)

11th December – Primavera Club @ Wurlitzer, Madrid (Spain)

12th December – State X New Forms Festival, Den Haag (Netherlands)

15th December – Club Uncut @ The Lexington, London (UK)

17th December – Les Ateliers Claus, Brussels (Belgium)

Yep.

Album out 10/6. Hear it now, buy it now (or later).

Continuing to spotlight great Kurt/Violators footage (Childish Prodigy is out October 6!), we offer Woodshop Films‘ tasty take on “Hunchback” from Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia last month (and a great interview too):

Oh but there is! Kurt Vile’s excellent Childish Prodigy is out 10/6 (pre-order it here and get the “He’s Alright” 7″ free), and we’ve noticed there’s a wealth of great Kurt video footage floating around these here internets.

Starting today and continuing each day this week we’re going to highlight some choice KV video action for your enjoyment. The first clip comes from our friends at Yours Truly and features Kurt giving it to the kids all acoustic-style on the aformentioned “He’s Alright”, as well as “Breathin’ Out”.

Kurt Vile, previously described by a hyperbole crazed observer as “one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009″ (by all means, feel free to cut and paste that declaration as often as you’d like) commemorates the release of his new LP/CD/digital album ‘Childish Prodigy‘ with the following live events in Philly and NYC (in addition to a full U.S. tour)

AKA in-store, Philadelphia – Kurt solo – Friday, 10/2
Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia  – with the Violators – Saturday, 10/3 (support  : Birds Of Maya, Coconuts)
Mercury Lounge, NYC – with the Violators – Wednesday, 10/7 (support  : Birds Of Maya, Coconuts)

(flickr photo by BigAssLens)

The second MP3 from Kurt Vile’s upcoming album Childish Prodigy is the dark and intense “Hunchback.” Not to be confused with other versions of the song floating around, “Hunchback” opens the record, and is a definite departure from the beginning of the last album, the ebullient “Freeway.” Check it out, and if you haven’t already gotten it, also take a listen to Overnite Religion which we put out a couple months ago. If you like what you hear, go and preorder the album, in stores on October 6, and get a free copy of the 7″ “He’s All Right.”

Hunchback (192k MP3)

Kurt will be on tour from early October through early November, as per below. Stay tuned for European dates to be announced shortly.

October
Saturday 03 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
Wednesday 07 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Thursday 08 Poughkeepsie, NY Vassar College w/Indian Jewelry
Saturday 10 Oberlin, OH The ‘Sco (Dionysus Disco) at Oberlin College
Sunday 11 Lexington, KY Al’s Bar
Monday 12 Bloomington, IN Video Saloon
Tuesday 13 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Wednesday 14 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Friday 16 Missoula, MT The Palace
Saturday 17 Seattle, WA High Dive w/Crystal Stilts
Sunday 18 Portland, OR Holocene w/Crystal Stilts
Tuesday 20 Arcata, CA Jambalaya
Wednesday 21 San Francisco, CA Hemlock Tavern
Thursday 22 San Diego, CA Crepe Place
Friday 23 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
Sunday 25 San Diego, CA Casbah
Tuesday 27 Phoenix, AZ Modified Arts
Thursday 29 Lubbock, TX Bash Riprocks
Friday 30 Austin, TX Mohawk
Saturday 31 Dallas, TX Lounge on Elm Street

November
Monday 02 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe w/Lovvers
Tuesday 03 Dallas, TX The Loft
Thursday 05 Washington, DC Black Cat

Kurt Vile on MySpace
Preorder “He’s All Right” 7″ (out September 22)
Preorder Childish Prodigy (out October 6))

Kurt Vile is performing live on Brian Turner’s show on WFMU right now and killing it.

Tune in to wfmu.org to stream the show via your iTunes, or adjust your radio to 91.1 FM in New York and 90.1 FM in the Hudson Valley.

Kurt Vile, with his band The Violators in tow, will be stopping by WFMU to play some songs live on The Brian Turner Show on Tuesday, August 18th, at 3 PM Eastern time. That’s tomorrow, for those of you without access to a calendar.

Tune in to WFMU on the radio dial at 91.1 FM (NYC/East Central NJ) and on WMFU, 90.1 FM (Hudson Valley, Lower Catskills, Western NJ), or online at wfmu.org.

As previously announced, we are releasing über-talented Philly singer-songwriter Kurt Vile’s second album Childish Prodigy this fall. Release date is October 6, and you can see the artwork above. This absorbing, addictive and richly detailed album covers an immense amount of ground compared to its predecessor, from the pounding stomp of “Hunchback” and the hypnotic beat of “Freak Train” to the unexpected, soaring trumpet in “Amplifier.”

(photo by Shawn Brackbill)

The first MP3 from Childish Prodigy is the lovely, haunting “Overnite Religion”:

Overnite Religion (192k mp3)

It’s becoming a habit for us to release a 7″ before an album, and Kurt is no exception. “He’s All Right” will be in stores on September 8. The A-side comes from the album, and it contains two non-LP B-sides.

You will have multiple opportunities to see Kurt Vile this summer, both solo and with his backing band the Violators (those dates are marked *). There will also be a national tour starting shortly after the album release date.

Fri, July 17 – Brooklyn NY – Bruar Falls * – with Blues Control, Coconuts
Sat, July 18 – Boston MA – Homegrown Fest at Church * – with Blues Control, Titan, Sunburned Hand of the Man, and more
Sun, July 19 – Montague MA – Montague Bookmill * – with Blues Control
Fri, July 23 – Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s – with Tyvek, Coconut Coolouts
Fri, July 31 – Brooklyn NY – Rooftop Film Sessions
Tue, Aug 11 – Baltimore MD – Talking Head Club – with Espers
Wed, Aug 12 – Wilmington NC – Soapbox – with Espers
Thu, Aug 13 – Asheville NC * – Transfigurations: Harvest Records Fest
Fri, Aug 14 – New York NY – Cakeshop – with Blues Control, Mad Scene, Hans Chew
Sat, Aug 15 – Ridgewood NY – Silent Barn – with Blues Control
Sun, Aug 16 – Philadelphia PA – Vox Populi – with Blues Control
Tue, Aug 18 – Jersey City NJ – WFMU – Live on Brian Turner’s Show *
Wed, Aug 19 – Philadelphia PA – Rittenhouse Square (Concert In The Park) *
Tue, Aug 25 – Santa Ana CA – Galaxy Theatre – with Built To Spill, Woods
Wed, Aug 26 – Los Angeles CA – Troubadour – with Dungen, Woods
Thu, Aug 27 – Los Angeles CA – Echoplex
Fri, Aug 28- Santa Barbara CA – Muddy Waters – with Woods
Sat, Aug 29 – Big Sur CA – Mexican Summer / Folk Yeah Outdoor Fest
Sun, Aug 30 – San Francisco CA – Bottom of the Hill – with Dungen, Woods
Tue, Sep 1 – Portland OR – Berbati’s Pan – with Dungen, Woods

* Kurt Vile & The Violators

Preorder Childish Prodigy (use the code “childish” for a 10% discount on your order)
kurtvile.com
myspace.com/kurtvileofphilly

Philadelphia’s favorite son, Kurt Vile, invaded drive-time as a guest DJ on hometown station WKDU last Thursday. As you might expect, he brought with him a plethora of high quality music, and the folks at Testostertunes were kind enough to make the show available for download. Get it now, before the frenzied rush of Matablog readers kills the Sendspace links.

(photo courtesy Rez Avissar / Tripwire)

For those in the area, Kurt Vile & the Violators will be playing Brooklyn tonight at Monster Island Basement (128 River St @ Metropolitan Ave) with Girls, Real Estate and Beach Fossils. More details here.

We’ve got a slew of dates to share below including a July 2 show at the Electric Factory in Philly opening for Sonic Youth and an August 25 show at Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana opening for Built To Spill.

Keep it here for updates on Kurt’s full-length Matador release, ‘Childish Prodigy’ (Autumn 2009) and further show information.

TOUR DATES:

Friday June 26 (w/ Violators) @ Monster Island Basement – Brooklyn, NY
w/ Girls

Thursday, July 2 (w/ Violators) @ Electric Factory – Philadelphia, PA
w/ Sonic Youth

Saturday, July 4 (w/ Violators) @ 979 Broadway btwn Myrtle Ave & Ditmars St – Brooklyn, NY
Woodsist/Captured Tracks Fest (Outdoors)
w/ The Oh Sees, Vivian Girls, Woods, Dum Dum Girls and more.

Sunday, July 5 (w/ Violators) @ Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA
KRAAK Fest – w/ Jack Rose, Meg Baird and US Girls

Friday, July 17 (w/ Violators) @ Bruars Falls – Brooklyn, NY
w/ Blues Control and Coconuts

Saturday, July 18 (w/ Violators) @ Church – Boston, MA
Homegrown Fest
w/ Blues Control, Bobb Trimble, Gary War and more

Sunday, July 19 (w/ Violators) @ Montague Bookmill – Montague, MA
w/ Blues Control

Thursday, July 23 @ Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
w/ Tyvek and Coconuts

Tuesday, August 11 @ Talking Head Club – Baltimore, MD
w/ Espers

Thursday, August 13 (w/ Violators) @ Transfigurations -  Asheville, NC
Harvest Records Fest

Friday, August 14 @ Cakeshop – NYC, NY

Saturday, August 15 @ Silent Barn – Ridgewood, NY

Sunday, August 16 @ Vox Populi – Philadelphia, PA

Wednesday, August 19 (w/ Violators) @ Rittenhouse Square – Philadelphia, PA

Tuesday, August 25 @ Galaxy Theatre – Santa Ana, CA
w/ Built To Spill/Woods

Wednesday, August 26 @ The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
w/ Dungen/Woods

Saturday, August 29 @ Kemado/Mexican Summer/Folk Yeah Festival – Big Sur, CA
w/ Dungen/Woods

Sunday, August 30 @ Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA
w/ Dungen/Woods

Tuesday, September 1 @ TBD – Portland, OR
w/ Dungen/Woods

(photograph by Shawn Brackbill) 

We tend to start new signings entries to the Matablog with lines like “Matador Records is pleased to announce….”, but could we possibly be more redundant?  Of COURSE we’re pleased to announce blah fucking blah, are we gonna say  ”Matador Records reluctantly admits….”  or “we’re obliged to tell you…”?  

So with that in mind, we’re REALLY pleased to announce — perhaps more than ever before in label history — an addition to the label roster we currently consider to be one of the more important figures in American music circa 2009.  Philadelphia guitarist/vocalist Kurt Vile first came to our attention (and possibly yours as well) with the release of the 2008 CD ‘Constant Hitmaker’ on the Gulcher imprint  ( a label whose paw prints extend to dusty genius recordings by the Gizmos and MX80-Sound and contemporary stuff from Home Blitz and Magik Markers).  What the homemade ‘Hitmaker’ (recently reissued on vinyl by Woodsist) lacked in fidelity it more than made for in scope —– to dub the album “psych pop” barely scratches the surface of  a work that’s as impossibly catchy as it is wildly experimental. 

Subsequent exposure to Kurt’s live shows in a variety of settings, both on his own and with crack ensemble The Violators, made it abundantly clear that we’d either have to sign this guy or find someone else who sounded exactly like him.  Since the latter task proved impossible, here we are.  Having signed a worldwide, multi-album pact with Matador, Kurt Vile’s first full-length for the label, ‘Childish Prodigy’ will be released on LP/CD and digital formats in Autumn 2009.  Watch this space for more  news & music to follow.