Only this time, it’s in congress with his current run of dates opening for fellow long-hair guitarissta J Mascis.
Kurt is confirmed to stop in a few more record shops around here before heading west (but don’t fret… there are even more to come).
You guys are so lucky.
GOOD NEWS: Kurt Vile & the Violators will headline the Bowery Ballroom in NYC (June 11) First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia (June 12), headlining both venues with Philly-buds Pissed Jeans opening (EDIT: Meg Baird has been added as an opener to both shows!).
March
Thursday 24 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge w/J Mascis
Friday 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg w/J Mascis
Saturday 26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall w/J Mascis
Monday 28 – Red Hook, NY – Bard College
Tuesday 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum
Wednesday 30 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop w/J Mascis
Thursday 31 – Ann Arbor, AL Blind Pig w/J Mascis
April
Friday 01 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean w/J Mascis
Saturday 02 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry w/J Mascis
Sunday 03 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill
Tuesday 05 – Gambier, OH – Kenyon College
Wednesday 06 – Nashville, TN – The End
Thursday 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/J Mascis
Friday 08 - Athens, GA – Melting Point w/J Mascis
Saturday 09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Music Hall w/J Mascis
Sunday 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle w/J Mascis
Monday 11 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Thursday 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Friday 22 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
Saturday 23 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar
Sunday 24 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
Monday 25 – Vancouver, BC – The Waldorf Hotel
May
Sunday 08 – Koln, DE – King Georg
Monday 09 – Munich, FR – Feierwerk
Tuesday 10 – Vienna, AT – Chelsea Club
Wednesday 11 - Berlin, DE – Festaal Kreuzberg
Thursday 12 – Copehagen, DK - Vega
Friday 13 – Aarhus, DK – Voxhaul
Saturday 14 – Minehead, UK – ATP Nightmare b4 Xmas
Sunday 15 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli
Monday 16 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
Tuesday 17 – Brussel, BE – Les Nuits de Botanique
Wednesday 18 – Gent, BE – Charlatan
Thursday 19 – London, UK – Corsica Studios
Friday 20 – Liverpool, UK – Sound City @ Kazimier
Saturday 21 – Glasgow, UK – Stagg & Dagger Festival
Monday 23 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
Wednesday 25 – Bordeaux, FR - Place Saint Michel
Thursday 26 – Rennes, FR – Top of the Folk @ L’antipode
Saturday 28 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Festival
Sunday 29 – Istanbul, TR – Ghetto
JUNE Saturday 11 – New York, NY — Bowery Ballroom (on sale: April 1) Saturday 12 – Philadelphia, PA — First Unitarian Church
If, like most good folk, you keep up with the whats and whys of America’s favorite freeform radio station, WFMU, or if, like most of the music industry, you are in Austin for SXSW, you may have come across the glaring “Special Guest TBA” in the midnight slot of tonight’s WFMU’s SXSW showcase at Barbarella (611 Red River, right in the heart of the fabled 6th Street red light district). Meme-conscious readers may have noted the day of the showcase and assumed that the ever-resourceful WFMU had snared the first-ever live performance by tween sensation Rebecca Black, but if I do say so myself the actual truth is even better: tonight’s Special Guest at the WFMU showcase is Philadelphia’s own Kurt Vile, whose new album Smoke Ring For My Halo is still just as crazily good as we’ve been saying for a while now.
If you happen to be stuck in some cultural backwater that doesn’t even have its very own Stevie Ray Vaughan statue, fear not, because WFMU will be broadcasting the entire showcase, starting at 9:00PM EST/8:00PM CST, at 91.1FM and online at wfmu.org. Those of you who are familiar with time zones will be aware that that means Kurt is on at 1:00AM EST, which is technically Saturday, which kind of screws up the Rebecca Black reference from earlier in this post. What can I say.
(scenes from SXSW 2005 : Matador co-owner, Austin resident for all of 15 minutes politely instructs a motorist to “go the fuck back where you came from” before recognizing his dog’s veterinarian)
It’s that time of year, when the fair of city of Austin is besieged by thousands of aspiring musicians, label creeps, bloggers, tech pimps, cinema parasites and self-styled marketing reptiles, all of ‘em urinating in my front garden on their way to and from some dubious “showcase” or launch party designed to appeal to their MOST CRAVEN INSTINCTS. I watch all of this from my front porch, my air rifle sitting atop a cooler of Guyaki Yerba Matte, wondering exactly how much jail time I’d serve for shooting the bluetooth earpiece off the skull of a gentleman trying to negotiate a contract at the foot of my driveway.
At which point, I’m reminded that he’s actually a guest in my home and our conference call that I’ve been ignoring is already 10 minutes old. Where are my manners? Sure, Austin’s chock-a-block with SCHMUCKS ON THE MAKE this week, but who am I to point an accusatory finger at these lovely visitors when they provide this label with such a fabulous opportunity to hawk our wares? The following Matador artists are playing (too many times) in Austin this week. Shows marked * will require an SXSW badge or wristband for priority entry ; happily, such gigs are in the overwhelming minority compared to the open-to-the-great unwashed public events listed below. I look forward to seeing you around town this week, and thank you again for keeping Austin, TX’s property values well above the national average.
Esben and the Witch :
Tuesday, March 15, 10pm, M for Montreal Showcase, Spill, 212 E. 6th St. (SXSWi event)
Wednesday, March 16, 2:30pm Flavorpill / I Rock I Roll Day Party, Lipstick, 24, 606 E. 7th St. (RSVP)
Wednesday, March 16, 8pm, Windish Booking Showcase*, ND Studios, 501 N. Highway I-35 (5th St. and Brushy Avenue)
Thursday, March 17, 2:30pm, Pop Montreal Party, Beauty Bar, 617 E. 7th St.
Thursday, March 17, 6:45pm, FADER Fort, 1101 E. 5th St. (RSVP)
Friday, March 18, 3:15pm, Windish Agency Party, Emo’s Jr., 603 Red River
Friday, March 18, midnight, BBC/Huw Stephens Showcase *, Latitude 30, 215 San Jacinto
Saturday, March 19, 2:40pm, Mess With Texas, Eastside Drive, 1001 E. 6th St. (RSVP)
Saturday, March 19, 4:40pm, Dazed & Confused party, Flamingo Cantina, 515 E. 6th St.
Ted Leo (solo)
Wednesday, March 16, 10pm, Brooklyn Vegan Showcase*, The Swan Dive, 651 Red River,
Thursday, March 17, 5:30pm, Other Music/Dig For Fire present, French Legation, 802 San Marcos
Friday, March 18, 3pm, Flower Booking/Onion AV Club Party, Mohawk, 912 Red River
Saturday, March 19, 4:55pm, Mess With Texas, Eastside Drive, 1001 E. 6th St. (RSVP)
Glasser
Thursday, March 17, 10pm Pitchfork presents *, Central Presbyterian Church, 200 E. 8th St.
Friday, March 18, Rhapsody Pary, Club Deville, 900 Red River (RSVP)
Kurt Vile & The Violators
Friday, March 18, Rhapsody Party, Club Deville, 900 Red River (RSVP)
Saturday, March 19, 3:30pm, Auditorium Shores, 950 W. Riverside Drive, free, all ages
Saturday, March 19, 6pm, Waterloo Records parking lot, 600 N. Lamar Blvd.
Kurt Vile (the man/myth/legend behind the stunning Smoke Ring For My Halo, out today on all popular formats), Ted Leo (star of Reginald Van Voorst’s Broadway musical The Brutalist Bricks), and A.C. Newman (inspiration for the character “Carl Newman” from the motion picture Moves: The Rise & Rise Of The New Pornographers) will all be joining Tom on the air tonight. We really don’t know what’s going to happen, but if it’s anything like last week’s show with Ted and Carl, it’ll be must-listen radio, plus you can get cool prizes for pledging money (including a signed Smoke Ring test pressing and the already-infamous “Rated GG” 7″ single). WFMU can be found at 91.1FM on your NY/NJ radio dial, or at wfmu.org.
Finally, lest you think we’re done talking about Kurt on his release day, please note that in addition to lending his talents to WFMU, Mr. Vile will be playing not once, not twice, but thrice at some of New York’s finest recordmongers this evening: 5PM at Academy Records in Williamsburg (with Thurston Moore & Bill Nace’s Northampton Wools), 7PM at Generation Records, and 9PM at Other Music. Who loves ya, indie retail?
Today (UK/Europe) and tomorrow (North America) see the release Kurt Vile’s latest/greatest album, Smoke Ring For My Halo (purchase the album here).
Pitchfork, who today revealed that they really like the record, also shot Kurt and the Violators on a cold ass rooftop a few weeks back (thanks for covering that Claire!). If you need more convincing that Kurt and the songs from Smoke Ring are pretty special, well, here you go:
After that, Kurt and the Violators will play a bunch of concerts:
March
Thursday 10 – Ithica, NY – Castaways w/J Mascis
Friday 11 - Toronto, ON – The Great Hall w/J Mascis
Saturday 12 – Kingston ONT, NT – The Mansion
Sunday 13 – Burlington, VT – Monkey House
Monday 14 – Milford, CT – Daniel Street
Tuesday 22 – Battleboro, VT – Headroom Stages w/J Mascis
Wednesday 23 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live Downstairs w/J Mascis
Thursday 24 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge w/J Mascis
Friday 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg w/J Mascis
Saturday 26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall w/J Mascis
Monday 28 – Red Hook, NY – Bard College
Tuesday 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum
Wednesday 30 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop w/J Mascis
Thursday 31 – Ann Arbor, AL Blind Pig w/J Mascis
April
Friday 01 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean w/J Mascis
Saturday 02 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry w/J Mascis
Sunday 03 – Iowa City, IA – The Mill
Tuesday 05 – Gambier, OH – Kenyon College
Wednesday 06 – Nashville, TN – The End
Thursday 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/J Mascis
Friday 08 - Athens, GA – Melting Point w/J Mascis
Saturday 09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle Music Hall w/J Mascis
Sunday 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle w/J Mascis
Monday 11 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Thursday 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
Friday 22 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
Saturday 23 – Portland, OR – Bunk Bar
Sunday 24 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
Monday 25 – Vancouver, BC – The Waldorf Hotel
May
Sunday 08 – Koln, DE – King Georg
Monday 09 – Munich, FR – Feierwerk
Tuesday 10 – Vienna, AT – Chelsea Club
Wednesday 11 - Berlin, DE – Festaal Kreuzberg
Thursday 12 – Copehagen, DK - Vega
Friday 13 – Aarhus, DK – Voxhaul
Saturday 14 – Minehead, UK – ATP Nightmare b4 Xmas
Sunday 15 – Utrecht, NL – Tivoli
Monday 16 – Amsterdam, NL – Bitterzoet
Tuesday 17 – Brussel, BE – Les Nuits de Botanique
Wednesday 18 – Gent, BE – Charlatan
Thursday 19 – London, UK – Corsica Studios
Friday 20 – Liverpool, UK – Sound City @ Kazimier
Saturday 21 – Glasgow, UK – Stagg & Dagger Festival
Monday 23 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie
Wednesday 25 – Bordeaux, FR - Place Saint Michel
Thursday 26 – Rennes, FR – Top of the Folk @ L’antipode
Saturday 28 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Festival
Sunday 29 – Istanbul, TR – Ghetto
03/01 Boston, MA – Newbury Comics (Newbury Street store)
03/02 Washington, DC – Red Onion Records and Books
03/02 Baltimore, MD – Sound Garden
03/04 Philadelphia, PA – AKA Music
03/08 Brooklyn, NY – Academy LPs (with Northampton Wools)
03/08 New York, NY – Generation Records
03/08 New York, NY – Other Music
03/10 Ithaca, NY – Castaways (with J Mascis)
03/11 Toronto, Ontario – The Great Hall (Canadian Music Fest) (with J Mascis)
03/12 Kingston, Ontario – The Mansion
03/13 Burlington, VT – Monkey House
03/14 Milford, CT – Daniel Street
03/19 Austin, TX – Ground Control Showcase at Auditorium Shores (SXSW)
03/22 Brattleboro, MA – Headroom Stages (with J Mascis)
03/23 Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live (with J Mascis)
03/24 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge (with J Mascis)
03/25 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg (with J Mascis)
03/26 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall (with J Mascis)
03/28 Red Hook, NY – Bard College
03/29 Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum
03/30 Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop (with J Mascis)
03/31 Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig (with J Mascis)
04/01 Chicago, IL – Subterranean (with J Mascis)
04/02 Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry (with J Mascis)
04/03 Iowa City, IA – The Mill
04/05 Gambier, OH – Kenyon College
04/06 Nashville, TN – The End
04/07 Atlanta, GA – The Earl (with J Mascis)
04/08 Athens, GA – Melting Point (with J Mascis)
04/09 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle (with J Mascis)
04/10 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (with J Mascis)
04/21 Los Angeles, CA – The Echo
04/22 San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill
04/23 Portland, OR – Bunk Bar
04/24 Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
04/25 Vancouver, British Columbia – Waldorf Hotel
05/11 Berlin, Germany – Festaal Kreuzberg
05/15 Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli
05/19 London, England – Corsica Studios
05/20 Liverpool, England – Sound City Festival
05/21 Glasgow, Scotland – Stag & Dagger Festival @ Captains Rest
05/25-29 Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Sound Festival
06/30-7-3 Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival
Perhaps you’re not aware, but long before I rose to the ranks of Matablog editor / label co-owner, I dabbled a bit in the wild world of music press. Back in the go-go 1980′s, I wrote for publications including (but not limited to) High Wire, The Wayland Town Crier, and of course, Smegma Journal. During that period, I had the good fortune of covering such emerging, pioneering acts as the Little River Band, Nantucket and The Sickness.
So it’s with that body of work (probably part of an Experience Music Project exhibit, if not an entirely new wing someday) in mind, that I’d like to help you, the mystified, befuddled rock fans of today, make some sense of what modern music journalists are banging on about. For instance, when Uncut’s Louis Pattison writes of Kurt Vile’s ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’, “the real heart of this record seems to lie in the moments of stillness and rest, where strung-out slackerdom attains an almost sacred quality”, what the layperson might not understand is that Mr. Pattison is really trying to say,“THIS IS THE GREATEST RECORD OF 2011 SO FAR AND IF YOU DISAGREE, I’M GOING TO HIT YOU WITH A SHOVEL”.
Likewise, when Mojo’s Stevie Chick might cause some casual readers to scratch their heads with his thoughts regarding ‘Smoke Ring’ (“while the melodies and vibe seem to be channeling lost AM radio transmissions from the ’70′s, Vile’s no relic-treasuring throwback, finding a unique, laconic voice of his own amongst the tangle”), the Rock-Criticism-To-English-Translator ™ generates the following ; “it is a work of total genius, to only purchase one copy would be a crime against art, beauty and the human spirit.”
Of course, our good friends from the British monthlies aren’t the only ones prone to bouts of understatement, and that’s why you’re so very lucky I’m here to make sense of yet another Kurt Vile rave, this one coming from Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene, who argues ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo”‘s “Ghost Town”, “churns along in a similar weightless middle space as Wilco’s ‘I Am Trying To Break Your Heart’ but instead of Jeff Tweedy’s earnest napkin poetry Vile gives us muttered, inscrutable darts, a series of private jokes for an audience of one.” What Mr. Greene wanted to testify was actually, “Kurt Vile’s prose has molested my mind. And I was asking for it.”
It’s been my pleasure to walk you through the intellectual mine field that passes for record reviews, and who knows? The next time one of these analysts is beating around the bush, I’ll not hesitate to assist, particularly if it can put the work of Kurt Vile in a deserved, wider context.
After completing a whole load of north american dates, Kurt Vile (and the Violators) will be heading over to Europe for 3 weeks worth of shows, starting early May and taking in headline shows and festivals, including Primavera Sound, Stag & Dagger and Liverpool Sound City festivals.
Ahead of the release of the new album ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’ Pitchfork have previewed the album track ‘Ghost Town’ naming it best new music – you can head there now to hear it for yourself.
Regular Matablog readers will be both familiar with and appreciative of the restraint with which we discuss the various going-on that are inevitably a part of life here in the music industry’s fast lane. It’s at the risk of ruining our reputation for understatement, then, that I describe the anticipation for Kurt Vile’s forthcoming album, Smoke Ring For My Halo, as approaching a fever pitch. Kurt & The Violators are happy to contribute to that build-up with today’s live broadcast of their WXPN Free at Noon show, which starts exactly when you would think it would: 12:00 noon EST. Philadelphia, tune in at 88.5FM. Rest of the world, do yourself a favor and listen online.
As previously reported Kurt Vile And The Violators will be touring North America this Spring in support of the forthcoming Kurt Vile LP, Smoke Ring For My Halo.
We’re happy to report some more dates to the touring schedule, including a West Coast headline run at the end of April (new dates below in bold).
But before all this kicks off, don’t forget, Mr. Vile will be doing a run of East Coast solo in-store dates around Smoke Ring For My Halo’s March 8 release. You can find all in-store date and location info here.
Kurt Vile And The Violators Spring Tour
Thursday, March 10 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways #
Friday, March 11 – Toronto, ONT – The Great Hall (Canadian Music Fest) # Saturday, March 12 — Kingston, ONT — The Mansion **
Sunday, March 13 — Burlington, VT — Monkey House **
Monday, March 14 — Milford, CT — Daniel Street ** Saturday, March 19 — Austin, TX — Ground Control Showcase at Auditorium Shores (SXSW)
Tuesday, March 22 – Battleboro, VT – Headroom Stages #
Wednesday, March 23 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live #
Thursday, March 24 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge # (SOLD OUT)
Friday, March 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Saturday, March 26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall # Monday, March 28 — Red Hook, NY — BARD College **
Tuesday, March 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum **
Wednesday, March 30 – Cleveland Hts, OH – Grog Shop #
Thursday, March 31 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig #
Friday, April 01 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean #
Saturday, April 02 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry # Sunday, April 03 — Iowa City, IA — The Mill **
Tuesday, April 05 — Gambier, OH — Kenyon College **
Wednesday, April 06 — Nashville, TN — The End **
Thursday, April 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl #
Friday, April 08 – Athens, GA – Melting Point #
Saturday, April 09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle #
Sunday, April 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle # Thursday, April 21 — Los Angeles, CA — The Echo **
Friday, April 22 — San Francisco, CA — Bottom Of The Hill **
Saturday, April 23 — Portland, OR — Bunk Bar **
Sunday, April 24 — Seattle, WA — Sunset Tavern **
Monday, April 25 — Vancouver, BC — Waldorf Hotel **
# Supporting J Mascis
** Kurt Vile And The Violators Headline
Pre-order Smoke Ring For My Halohere for 15% off + a free poster
Listen to “Jesus Fever” here
In anticipation of the release of his upcoming ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’ (out 3/8), Kurt Vile will be running around the northeast and stopping in some of our favorite independent record shops playing a series of solo acoustic (and one full-band) instores. Some very special guests are in the works, with Northampton Wools (Thurston Moore + Bill Nace) already confirmed for one of the three NYC engagements.
As previously mentioned on the Matablog, Kurt Vile is heading out on the road this Spring in support of the March 8 release of Smoke Ring For My Halo.
Well we’re now happy to announce that Kurt Vile And The Violators will be supporting J Mascis on the following run of dates (tickets on sale this Friday and Saturday):
Thursday, March 10 – Ithaca, NY – Castaways #
Friday, March 11 – Toronto, ONT – The Great Hall (Canadian Music Fest) #
Tuesday, March 22 – Battleboro, VT – Headroom Stages #
Wednesday, March 23 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live #
Thursday, March 24 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge #
Friday, March 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg #
Saturday, March 26 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall #
Tuesday, March 29 – Pittsburgh, PA – Andy Warhol Museum **
Wednesday, March 30 – Cleveland Hts, OH – Grog Shop #
Thursday, March 31 – Ann Arbor, MI – Blind Pig #
Friday, April 01 – Chicago, IL – Subterranean #
Saturday, April 02 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry #
Thursday, April 07 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl #
Friday, April 08 – Athens, GA – Melting Point #
Saturday, April 09 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle #
Sunday, April 10 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle #
# Supporting J Mascis
** Kurt Vile And The Violators Headline
And on top of all this live goodness, Kurt and the Violators will also be making their way through this year’s SXSW (further details to be announced).
Pre-order Smoke Ring For My Halo on LP/CD here
Listen to “Jesus Fever” here
