“On January 15th, 2011, Shearwater will present The Island Arc, the trilogy of albums that includes 2006′s Palo Santo, 2008′s Rook, and 2010′s The Golden Archipelago, in a single, complete performance at the beautiful Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas.
This will be a one-time-only event – we’ve never performed these thematically-linked albums in order, and probably never will again. We’ve also never played some of the songs live at all. We’ll be joined by old and new friends for this show, and we promise a really special evening for everyone.
The Island Arc isn’t a farewell show, not by a long shot, but it does feel like a bookend. It’s a way for us to look back and to clear the way for what’s next – which, whatever it is, is going to be quite different from these records.
We begin recording a new album in early 2011. “ - Jonathan Meiburg
As you probably already know, Shearwater is on tour. If you’re in Chicago, not only should you check out their show tonight at Lincoln Hall, you should get a taste of what to expect by tuning in to WLUW at 4:00PM CST for a live session with Jonathan Meiburg and company. Listen in at 88.7FM.
In addition to tonight’s show in Chicago, there are a few more dates remaining on Shearwater’s November jaunt across these United States, so catch them if you can.
Tue Nov 16, 2010 – Chicago IL – Lincoln Hall
Wed Nov 17, 2010 – South Bend IN - Subkirke
Thu Nov 18, 2010 – St. Louis MO – Duck Room
Fri Nov 19, 2010 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
Sat Nov 20, 2010 – Norman OK – The Opolis
Apologies if you’ve already seen the below screed at CNN.com, Hit Parader or Cat Fancy, but on the off chance you’ve not read “How To Tour In a Band or Whatever”, by Shearwater’s grandmaster percussionist Thor Harris, here’s another opportunity to do so.
How to Tour in a Band or Whatever
by Thor Harris
1-Don’t Complain. Bitching, moaning, whining is tour cancer. If something is wrong fix it or shut the fuck up you fucking dick. goddamn.
2-If you fart, claim it.
3-Don’t Lose shit. Everybody loses shit. Don’t fucking do it. Asshole.
4-Don’t fuck anyone in the band. There are tons of people to fuck who are not in this band. Dumbass.
5-If you feel like shit all the time, drink less beer at the gig. You will play better & feel better. What are you… a child? Some have the endurance for self abuse. Most don’t.
6-Remember the soundman’s name. He will do a better job.
7- Eat oranges. Cures constipation & prevents colds.
8-Masturbate. Duh… Where & when? Be creative. You’re an artist right?
9-If YOU can’t carry your suitcase 3 blocks, it’s too goddamn big.
10-Respect public space in the van. Don’t clutter, you Fuck.
11-If you borrow something, return it. Not Fucked Up.
12-Do not let the promoter dick you or talk you out of the guarantee. If there were not enuf people there, it’s their fault.
13- Driver picks the music.
14-One navigator only (usually sitting shotgun). Everyone else shut the fuck up.
15-Soundcheck is for checking sounds. Shut the fuck up while everyone else is checking.
16-Don’t wander off. Let someone know where you are.
17-Clean up after yourself. What are you… a goddamn toddler?
18-Touring makes everyone bi-polar. Ride the waves as best you can and remember, moods pass. So don’t make any snap decisions or declarations when you are drunk or insane.
19-Fast food is Poison.
20-The guestlist is for friends, family & people you might want to fuck. Everyone else can pay. They have day jobs.
21- Don’t evaluate your whole life while you’re sitting in a janitor closet waiting to go on. You think you’re above having shitty days at work? Shut up & do your goddamn job.
Shearwater kick off their November US tour TONIGHT at The Bottletree in Birmingham, AL.
And to get you in a Shearwater state of mind be sure to watch this recent live piece on the band that aired on WHYY Philadelphia’s On Canvas.
Tue Nov 02, 2010 – Birmingham AL – The Bottletree
Wed Nov 03, 2010 – Tallahassee FL – The Engine Room
Thu Nov 04, 2010 – Orlando FL – The Social
Fri Nov 05, 2010 – Atlanta GA – The Earl
Sat Nov 06, 2010 – Chapel Hill NC – Local 506
Sun Nov 07, 2010 – Charlottesville VA – The Southern
Tue Nov 09, 2010 – Washington DC – Rock and Roll Hotel
Wed Nov 10, 2010 – Philadelphia PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Thu Nov 11, 2010 – Cambridge MA – Middle East Downstairs
Fri Nov 12, 2010 – Brooklyn NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Sat Nov 13, 2010 – Pittsburgh PA – Thunderbird Cafe
Sun Nov 14, 2010 – Detroit MI – Magic Stick
Mon Nov 15, 2010 – Columbus, OH – Outland on Liberty
Tue Nov 16, 2010 – Chicago IL – Lincoln Hall
Wed Nov 17, 2010 – South Bend IN - Subkirke
Thu Nov 18, 2010 – St. Louis MO – Duck Room
Fri Nov 19, 2010 – Lawrence KS – Jackpot Saloon
Sat Nov 20, 2010 – Norman OK – The Opolis
Damian Jurado supports on all dates.
Middle East on 11/11 – Shearwater supports Horse Feathers (also on the bill are Damian Jurado + Anais Mitchell).
First off, if these changes have left anyone disappointed or inconvenienced, we’re truly sorry. I’ve been watching videos of the guys in the BP commercials all week trying to strike the right tone for this post, and wouldn’t you know it, MY VIDEO CAMERA IS BROKEN. Bullet dodged.
On the bright side, hey, DEAD MEADOW are playing. The opening VIP gala is still happening at 4pm Friday in the Hardwood Suite with dj sets by Ted Leo and myself. Same room becomes a VIP lounge Friday and Saturday nights, plus late night dj action on Friday (James McNew, Dean Bein) and Saturday (Dave Martin, Robby Morris). Here’s the live entertainment schedule of events. Much like real life, everything is subject to change.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1st
THE PEARL
Pavement: 12:00am – 1:00am
Sonic Youth: 10:40pm – 11:30am
Fucked Up: 9:35pm – 10:15pm
Chavez: 8:30pm – 9:10pm
Guitar Wolf: 7:30pm – 8:10pm
Doors: 7:00pm
MC : Jeff Jensen
LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Fucked Up Vs. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 1:30am – 2:30am
(One stage. Two bands. At once. They’re supposed to take turns, song by song…but who knows?)
Doors: 1:00am
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2nd
THE PEARL
Belle & Sebastian: 11:45pm – 1:00am
Spoon: 10:25pm – 11:15pm
Superchunk: 9:20pm – 10:00pm
Cat Power: 8:15pm – 8:55pm
Perfume Genius: 7:55pm – 8:15pm
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: 6:50pm – 7:30pm
Come: 5:45pm – 6:25pm
Girls: 4:40pm – 5:20pm
Doors 4:00pm
MC : Bob Nastanovich
MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Dead Meadow: 2:30pm – 3:15pm
Harlem: 1:30pm – 2:05pm
Doors: 1:00pm
LATE NIGHT PARTY IN PALMS BALLROOM (LIMITED CAPACITY)
Cold Cave: 2:25am – 3:15am
Esben and The Witch: 1:30am – 2:00am
Doors: 1:00am
THE PEARL
Guided By Voices: 11:30pm – 1:00am
Yo La Tengo: 10:10pm – 11:05pm
Liz Phair: 9:50pm – 10:10pm
The New Pornographers: 8:40pm – 9:25pm
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: 7:35pm – 8:15pm
Shearwater: 6:30pm – 7:10pm
Doors: 6:00pm
MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster
MATINEE IN THE PALMS BALLROOM
The Clean: 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Times New Viking: 3:30pm – 4:05pm
Kurt Vile: 2:30pm – 3:05pm
Doors: 2:00pm
This week is amounting to what passes for the Thor Harris Media Blitz, what with Shearwater’s multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire being photographed in Sunday’s New York Times (as part of the newly configured Swans lineup), as well as assisting bandmate Jonathan Meiburg in giving MTV Canada’s Sharlene Chiu a guided tour of Austin, TX. OK, The latter segment begins airing today, however you can watch a web version, just be advised the Shearwater segment doesn’t start until about 3 minutes and 56 seconds in, but if you wanna watch the members of Yeasayer eating lunch, well, there’s that, too!
First of all, we know you’ve been waiting patiently for the information below, and we sincerely apologize for the length of time it took to get it together. But if wanting to put together an even sicker bill than previously announced is a crime, PLEASE LOCK US UP.
1) 50 additional pairs of tickets priced at $250.00 per person (not including taxes and fees) will be available via a public lottery sometime next week. We’ll announce the details here and on the 21 site beforehand.
2) Details regarding a limited number of room upgrades will be available at that time.
3) We regret to announce that at present, our supply of VIP tickets has been exhausted. If that situation changes, we’ll let you know.
4) As rumored in a bunch of places (including this very blog), we’re very happy to confirm the following additions to The Lost Weekend Bill ; Liz Phair, Times New Viking, Esben and the Witch, Perfume Genius, The Clean, MC’s Jeff Jensen, Bob Nastanovich, Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster, and a late Friday evening presentation by Austin’s Karaoke Underground. The rough schedule can be found below, and is very much subject to change :
Friday:
4 PM: Gala opening party, Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders, limited capacity)
MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):
doors open 6 PM, first band (Guitar Wolf) on at 7 PM
Pavement
Sonic Youth
Fucked Up
Chavez
Cold Cave
Guitar Wolf
MC : Jeff Jensen
2am onwards : Superchunk/Fucked Up/bands TBC, Hardwood Suite (VIP ticketholders only, capacity limited)
2am onwards : Karaoke Underground at Little Buddha (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)
Saturday:
MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):
Belle and Sebastian
Spoon
Superchunk
Cat Power
Perfume Genius
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Come
Girls
MC : Bob Nastanovich
2am : Esben and the Witch, Harlem, Key West Ballroom (open to all ticketholders, space permitting)
Sunday (MATINEE, in Key West Ballroom, open to all ticketholders, capacity limited):
The Clean
Times New Viking
Kurt Vile
Sunday evening :
MAIN STAGE (The Pearl):
Guided By Voices
Yo La Tengo
Liz Phair
The New Pornographers
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
Shearwater
MC’s : Tom Scharpling & Jon Wurster
Matador at 21: The Lost Weekend takes place at the Palms Resort and Casino in Las Vegas from October 1-3, 2010. This event is sponsored by MySpace Music, Altamont and Incase.
If you’re not able to catch Shearwater at this year’s Austin City Limits Festival, fear not! The band will be back on the road this November playing a cross-country tour with Damien Jurado. Tickets are now on-sale.
Last month, an audience of lucky Austinites was witness to a live performance of favorites both new and old by Shearwater in the Austin City Limits studio, part of the “KUT Live” series sponsored by, you guessed it, Austin’s own KUT. Those both in and out of Austin who missed out at the time can hear the performance when KUT broadcasts it tonight at 9:00PM EDT/8:00PM CDT. KUT is located at 90.5 on your Austin radio dial, and if this whole Internet thing has caught your fancy then you can also listen online in a variety of ways. Sadly, you will have to just imagine the snazzy Texas Capitol Building backdrop, as seen above.
Tickets for “The Lost Weekend” aka Matador’s 21st birthday celebrations at The Palms will go on sale this Friday morning at 9am, PST. Here’s the details you’ve been hassling all of us about over the last week (and don’t think we don’t appreciate it)
a) Tickets/Pricing : An initial quantity will be on sale Friday for $SOLD. .After the $SOLD tickets sell out, the price increases to $SOLD. A Ticketfly.com link will be posted on this site on Thursday, July 8th. Starting Friday, you’ll have the opportunity to reserve standard rooms at the Palms for the discounted rate of $SOLD per night (the full 3 nights of the festival, only). The rooms feature two double bed and occupancy of up to 4 persons is allowed. The above rate is only available when purchasing tickets thru us. If you are interested in upgrading to a larger room or a suite you will be able to do so after purchasing the standard room. TICKETS FOR THE 3 NIGHTS + ROOMS are being sold jointly — we’re not selling tickets to the shows separately at this time, nor are we selling tickets for individual nights.
(ADDENDUM -i) A limited number of 3-day tickets priced at $SOLD—with no Palms reservation required — will be available Friday morning at 9am PST via Ticketfly.com
ii) if, for example, you’re buying 4 tickets to the shows, the $SOLD per night hotel fee can cover up to 4 people. $SOLD over 3 nights divided by 4 is hopefully not an crazy amount to charge for rooms in a world class resort).
B) VIP tickets. A limited number of VIP packages will be available at $SOLD — details about what you’ll get for the $SOLD are forthcoming. You’ll have the ability to upgrade from the regular tickets, assuming the VIP tickets aren’t sold out.
D) MORE BANDS. OK, we’re working on it. But in addition to the 19 artists confirmed on the above poster, we can confirm the original lineup of COME — Thalia Zedek, Chris Brokaw, Sean O’Brien and Arthur Johnson — will be participating. Actually, we already know who some of the other bands are, we’re just trying to drag this out. MORE MATABLOG CONTENT between now and October!
E) Set times - we’ll post these the week before the event.
F) These shows are open to all ages. However, access to the casino floor is limited to those 21 and over.
F) WHAT ABOUT LAS VEGAS HUMANS? Las Vegas’ Zia Records is selling 50 tickets to “The Lost Weekend” starting Friday, July 9. You’ll need a Nevada I.D. Reservations at the Palms are not required to purchase these tickets.
(ADDENDUM II :
INFORMATION FOR TICKETS AVAILABLE IN LAS VEGAS
Zia Records
4225 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119-5485
702-735-4942
Zia Records
4503 W. SAHARA
LAS VEGAS, NV 89102
702-233-4942
Tickets will go onsale at both stores at 10:00am on Friday, July 9th via lottery. By overwhelming demand by Nevada Residents we will be increasing the amount of tickets available (50 X 2 = 100) . There is a two ticket limit. Nevada state ID required for purchase. Any questions please email 21@matadorecords.com
As mentioned previously in this space, Matador will be celebrating the label’s 21st anniversary this October and this much we can finally confirm : there will be 3 nights of shows starting Friday October 1, and concluding Sunday October 3 at the Palms Casino & Resort In Las Vegas, NV. We’ll be dropping further hints about the amazing lineup in the days ahead, but a final announcement and information about how to purchase tickets will be made here at the trusty Matablog on July 5. Are you as psyched as we are? (hopefully yes, because we’re getting in for free).
(ADDENDUM – there’s been a bit of confusion so just to clear things up, tickets DO NOT GO ON SALE JULY 5. We’ll merely be announcing the on sale date/time on July 5. thanks – GC)
Not wanting to feel left out of the summer fun, Shearwater will be heading over for a visit to Europe in July and August with visits to some rather intimate UK venues and to play as part of a special show at London’s (amazing) Barbican Theatre featuring 13 of Andy Warhol’s screen shots being accompanied by live music.
They’ll also be spreading some peace and love/playing songs from their most recent and most excellent album The Golden Archipelago at a bunch of festivals around mainland Europe.
To be even more helpful, here’s a full list of all the shows that I’ve just been hinting at…
The evening will include a reading of excerpts from artist Charles Burchfield’s journals by Jonathan Rosen, author of The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature, along with a performance by Jonathan Meiburg who will be joined by Andy Stack of Wye Oak.
The event starts at 7PM and is free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6-9 pm. No special tickets or reservations are required.
For further details on the event visit the Whitney’s site, here.
And to those of you in the Philadelphia area, tune in to WHYY this evening for Shearwater’s performance on On Canvas filmed at Johnny Brenda’s in March. The program will also be available to view online as of this Thursday.
(video from Shearwater’s session for Radio K at SXSW)
Listeners to Salt Lake City’s KRCL can wake up this morning to the sounds of Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg at 9:00AM MDT. Jonathan will be playing a solo set and spinning some songs he was listening to during the recording of Shearwater’s new album, The Golden Archipelago (which, by the way, can be had for a rainbow of reasonable prices at our online store). Salt Lake City can tune in at 90.9FM, other places can listen online at krcl.org.
By Jeremy P. Goldstein on Thursday, April 29th, 2010
Photo courtesy of Holden Richards
Actually, if you’re one of the lucky winners, you’ll be hearing this Shearwater intimate performance live from The Triple Door in Seattle this afternoon, ahead of their gig at the very same venue this evening (still need tickets? Get ‘em here). Fortunately for the rest of us schlubs, the session will be aired back in its entirety at 5PM PDT (for those of you who have trouble with the mathematics, that’s 8PM EDT). KEXP, as you are most likely full aware, airs terrestrially at 90.3 on your FM dial in the greater 206 and online at KEXP.org.
Shearwater’s grand tour across the states picks back up tonight in Phoenix, AZ at the Rhythm Room.
And what better way to celebrate than to share some live show footage of Shearwater performing “Hidden Lakes” at Mad Planet in Milwaukee in early April.
Chances are you’re either tired of hearing about SXSW, or you’re too drunk to be reading this. What I have here, though, is worth pushing through your SXSW fatigue and putting down that margarita (it’s 9 in the morning, for chrissake). The fine folks at Radio K made the trip to SXSW again this year, and as in years past they have an illustrious list of bands recording sessions for them. One of those bands is our own Shearwater, whose session will be airing today at noon Central time. Minneapolitans can tune in to Radio K at 104.5 FM (Minneapolis-St. Paul), 100.7 FM (St. Paul), 106.5 FM (Minneapolis) & 770 AM (Metro area), while the rest of us can listen online.
Shearwater’s amazing new album, The Golden Archipelago, can be purchased in all the usual formats by going right here.
Heading to the annual Musical Trade Fair That Also Features Unaffiliated Gigs thing in Austin TX this week?
Well, do yourself the favor and check out The Cave Singers, Harlem, Fucked Up and Shearwater playing multiple times through the weekend. Here’s a useful breakdown by time and place for your calendars.
Tues, March 16th
-11:30 PM, Harlem
House of Guys Party
@1907 Rio Grande Street
Weds, March 17th
- 5:00 PM, Fucked Up
@ Emo’s
603 Red River
Brooklyn Vegan Day Party
- 8:00 PM, Harlem
@ Charlie’s
1301 Lavaca Street
Victims of Sonic Attack Day Party
Thurs, March 18th
-1:00 PM, Cave Singers
@ The Mohawk
Billions/Ticketfly Party
-1:00 PM, Shearwater
@ Galaxy Room
507 E. 6th Street
Paste Party
-7:30 PM, Fucked Up
@ FADER Fort
1101 E. 5th Street
between San Marcos and Waller
-9:00 PM, Harlem
@ Red 7 Patio
611 East 7th St
SXSW Showcase
-11:30 PM, Cave Singers
@ Club Deville
900 Red River Street
Billions SXSW Showcase
congrats to the unidentified videographer who shot Shearwater last Thursday night in Amsterdam on getting one of the most important parts of such shoots right ; MAKING CERTAIN NO TALL PEOPLE ARE BLOCKING YOUR VIEW
(order ‘ The Golden Archipelago’ on LP/CD or digital album from the Matador Store, today’s the last day for the 15% discount)
Seems like it should have happened ages ago. Check out Shearwater covering “Baby’s On Fire” by Brian Eno. Taking Tiger Mountain was my introduction to non-mainstream music, years ago. Listen on Chromewaves Radio.
[edit: I guess this one's actually from Here Come The Warm Jets. Memory is not what it used to be. I was clearly thinking of "The Fat Lady Of Limbourg."[/edit]
With Shearwater’s stunning new album The Golden Archipelagoavailable now digitally and in record shops in UK and Europe (and everywhere else this coming Tuesday – 15% off preorders until the 23rd, CD comes packaged with a 50 page perfect-bound dossier and LP contains 2 bonus tracks & a PDF of the dossier…DEEP BREATH…), we bring you the video for album highlight “Hidden Lakes”, directed by Alma Har’el:
Also required-viewing is this heartfelt solo performance of “Hidden Lakes” captured by John-Paul Garrigues – an intimate and intensely beautiful take from Shearwater frontman Jonathan Meiburg:
For the full Shearwater live experience, catch the band on the road in the coming weeks and months:
February
Thursday 18 – Brussels, BE – Botanique Rotonde
Friday 19 – Paris, FR – Le Nouveau Casino
Sunday 21 – Brighton, UK – The Freebutt
Monday 22 – Leeds, UK – The Brudenell Social Club
Tuesday 23 – Glasgow, UK – Captains Rest
Wednesday 24 – Manchester, UK – The Ruby Lounge
Thursday 25 – London, GB – Scala
Friday 26 – Diksmuid, BE – Magnet Club
Saturday 27 – Hamburg, DE – Knust
Sunday 28 – Berlin, DE - Magnet Club
March
Tuesday 02 – Munich, DE – Rote Sonne
Wednesday 03 – Geneva, CZ – L�Usine (PTR)
Thursday 04 – Fribourg, CZ – Nouveau Monde
Friday 05 – Milan, IT – La Casa 139
Sunday 07 – Barcelona, ES – La (2) de Apolo
Monday 08 – Madrid, ES - Moby DIck
Saturday 13 – Austin, TX – Red 7 w/Noveller, Xiu Xiu
Wednesday 24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Thursday 25 – Chapel Hill, NC – Local 506
Friday 26 – Washington, DC – Rock And Roll Hotel w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Saturday 27 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom w/Hosptial Ships, Wye Oak
Tuesday 30 – Cambridge, MA – T. T. The Bear’s w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Wednesday 31 – Montreal QUE, UE – La Sala Rossa w/Hospital Ships
April
Thursday 01 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Friday 02 – Ithica, NY – Castaways w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Sunday 04 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall w/Hosptial Ships, Wye Oak
Tuesday 06 – Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Wednesday 07 – Grinnell, IA – Garnder Lounge @ Grinnell College w/Hospital Ships, Wye Oak
Thursday 08 – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
Friday 09 – Norman, OK – The Opolis w/Hosptial Ships, Wye Oak
Saturday 10 – Dallas, TX – The Loft w/Wye Oaks, Hospital Ships
Thursday 22 – Cleveland, OH – Rhythm Room w/Hospital Ships
Friday 23 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress w/Hospital Ships
Saturday 24 – Silver Lake, CA – Spaceland w/Hospital Ships
Sunday 25 – San Francisco, CA – Bottom of the Hill w/Hospital Ships
Tuesday 27 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge w/Hospital Ships
Wednesday 28 – Vanvouver, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret w/Hospital Ships
Thursday 29 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door w/Hospital Ships
Friday 30 – Pullman, WA – The Bell Tower
May
Saturday 01 – Boise, ID – Neurolox w/Hospital Ships
Sunday 02 – Salt Lake City, UT – The State Room w/Hospital Ships
Tuesday 04 – Denver, CO – Walnut Room w/Hospital Ships
Friday 07 – Austin, TX – The Parish w/Hospital Ships
Check out The Huffington Post for a guest blog piece from Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg entitled “A New Kind of Refugee”. Now up on the Green Page (scroll down, left side). Or go right here.
And just a reminder that there are a mere matter of days to purchase a copy of the beautiful limited edition Golden Dossier via Kickstarter (ends on January 31). Go here to purchase and read more about the dossier.
And a little more time remains to pre-order Shearwater’s upcoming release, The Golden Archipelago (February 23) via the Matastore.
Check out the MP3 for “Black Eyes” and Spring tour dates here.
Preorder the album with 15% discount plus limited-edition perfect-bound book.
At the same time we can announce the Shearwater Spring US tour:
Sat 3/13 AUSTIN, TX – Red 7 (Jonathan Meiburg solo, supporting Xiu Xiu)
Wed 3/24 ATLANTA, GA – The Earl – with Wye Oak
Thu 3/25 CHAPEL HILL, NC – Local 506 – with Wye Oak
Fri 3/26 WASHINGTON, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel – with Wye Oak
Sat 3/27 NEW YORK, NY – Bowery Ballroom- with Wye Oak
Sun 3/28 PHILADELPHIA, PA – Johnny Brenda’s- with Wye Oak
Tue 3/30 BOSTON, MA – T.T. the Bears – with Wye Oak
Wed 3/31 MONTREAL, QC – La Sala Rosa – with Wye Oak
Thu 4/1 TORONTO, ON – Lee’s Palace – with Wye Oak
Fri 4/2 ITHACA, NY – Castaways – with Wye Oak
Sun 4/4 CHICAGO, IL – Lincoln Hall – with Wye Oak
Tue 4/6 MINNEAPOLIS, MN – 400 Bar – with Wye Oak
Wed 4/7 GRINNELL, IA – Gardner Lounge at Grinnell College – with Wye Oak
Thu 4/8 LAWRENCE, KS – Bottleneck – with Wye Oak
Fri 4/9 NORMAN, OK – The Opolis – with Wye Oak
Thu 4/22 PHOENIX, AZ – Rhythm Room
Fri 4/23 TUCSON, AZ – Club Congress
Sat 4/24 LOS ANGELES, CA – Spaceland
Sun 4/25 SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Bottom Of The Hill
Tue 4/27 PORTLAND, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Wed 4/28 VANCOUVER, BC – The Biltmore Cabaret
Thu 4/29 SEATTLE, WA – Triple Door
Fri 4/30 PULLMAN, WA – The BellTower
Sat 5/1 BOISE, ID – Neurolux
Tue 5/4 DENVER, CO – The Walnut Room
Fri 5/7 AUSTIN, TX – The Parish
* Some more information on “Black Eyes.” Every track on The Golden Archipelago is associated with an island somewhere around the world, in this case the buried South Pacific city of Nan Madol, off the eastern shore of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. The name means “spaces between” – it was actually a series of artificial islands linked by a network of canals, and inhabited until about 1500 A.D. The city was gradually abandoned and exists today in a state of decay and can only be visited by governmental permission.
The band have completed work on the limited-edition dossier that explains and enlarges upon the themes of the album. Contents range from the national anthem of the displaced Bikini Atoll islanders to photos of isolated islands where animals remain unafraid of human beings. The dossier is 73 full-color 8 1/2 X 10″ sheets in a stamped envelope. You still have to the end of January to donate to secure your own copy (via kickstarter.com).
Congrats to Shearwater and all you lucky fans out there. Shearwater’s Golden Dossier — a full-color, 75-page, 8 x 10.5” companion piece to The Golden Archipelago (February 23) – has now been fully funded via Kickstarter.com!
Thanks to all who have have pledged toward this project. To those still interested in getting your hands on TheGolden Dossier, there’s time. The window to purchase your copy through Kickstarter is January 31. After that, they’re gone.
In conjunction with the release of Shearwater’s new album, The Golden Archipelago, singer Jonathan Meiburg and designer Mark Ohe have created a beautiful, full-color, 75-page, 8 x 10.5” dossier as a companion piece that you can obtain only through Kickstarter.com
The dossier is a visual guide to the world of the album, primarily composed of photographs and documents collected by JM from islands and other singular places around the world. Among its pages are the national anthem of Bikini Atoll, the story of a charming and fatally obsessed German aviator and explorer, notes from the daily life of a remote Aboriginal village occupied by missionaries, and photographs from an island Jules Verne considered “The End of the World,” where endangered animals remain unafraid of humans. It also features production credits and full lyrics for The Golden Archipelago and its B-sides.
The dossier’s loose, numbered pages will come packaged in a personalized, numbered, heavy-duty envelope fastened with a string tie.
Included here are some images from the dossier. You can also view these images here
And as previously posted, The Golden Archipelago CD (February 23) comes packaged with a redesigned 50-page booklet that is a set of extracts from the dossier. LP pre-orders via our store will ALSO receive a copy of this CD-sized perfect bound book.
Visit here to pledge and learn about the Kickstarter project.
And check out the “damn near perfect” (thanks Pitchfork!) mp3 for Castaways here
“The Golden Archipelago” is the third album in a triptych of mindblowingly beautiful, dense and ambitious excursions about man’s impact on the natural world from Austin’s SHEARWATER.
This time singer-songwriter Jonathan Meiburg turns his attention to life on islands – a world of lushness and austerity, silence and sudden cataclysms. From rising sea levels to displaced populations, Meiburg travels from the Falklands to Madgascar, from the Bikini Atoll to the Tierra Del Fuego.
The music matches the grandeur and melancholy of its subject matter. This is a true album in the larger sense of the word. Meiburg’s soaring vocals and complex song structures recall opuses like Kate Bush’s “Hounds Of Love,” Hüsker Dü’s “Zen Arcade” and classic Pink Floyd.
The CD comes packaged with a 50-page perfect-bound book that is a set of extracts from a dossier of records, photos, regulations and images collected by Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg. The LP contains 2 bonus tracks & an MP3 download coupon (that includes the album + PDF of the dossier). (Note: LP pre-orders will ALSO receive a copy of the CD-sized perfect bound book.)
Serious researchers will have a way to obtain the actual, full-sized, full-color 73-page dossier in its special envelope – this will be announced soon, so keep your eyes on this space.
Preorder the album, and get a 15% discount plus the extras noted above.
Below is the first MP3 from The Golden Archipelago, “Castaways.” You can just play the MP3, or you can download a zip file containing either a 256K MP3 or a FLAC of the track, along with a digital single artwork and some images from book extracts of the dossier:
performing “The Snow Leopard” from ‘Rook’, September 10, 2009. Shearwater are amongst the cavalcade of Matador stars (Mission Of Burma, Fucked Up, Times New Viking, Harlem) appearing at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX November 7 and 8.
Above: Thor and Kim engaging in double-glock(enspiel) warfare at this year’s Primavera Festival
Having Shearwater play on this side of the Atlantic is always a good thing especially if it means the opportunity to hear more new material. Bring your own glockenspiel/double-bass/hand-made instrument.
September:
10th – Vooruit, Ghent BE
11th – End Of The Road Festival, Dorset UK
12th – Brudenell Social Club, Leeds UK (w/ Clinic)
13th – Colchester Arts Centre, Colchester UK
14th – The Luminaire, London UK
15th – Effenaar, Eindhoven NL
16th – Tivoli (De Helling), Utrecht NL
[photos of Fucked Up and Sonic Youth grabbed off Toni François' and Ryan Muir's flickr sites, respectively]
New Jersey’s freeform radio giant, WFMU, has plugged into the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona bringing streams of sets from Matador acts Fucked Up and Sonic Youth to the airwaves in the tri-state (90.1 FM) and online at www.wfmu.org.
Along with Fucked Up and Sonic Youth, WFMU will air sets from Wooden Shjips, Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Sunn o))), Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, Ariel Pink, Magik Markers,Oneida, th’ Faith Healers and others to be announced.
Tune in at around 3:00 PM EST on Saturday (5/30) to hear Fucked Up and at 9:00 PM to hear Sonic Youth. As is the case with these kinds of things, all times are subject to change so keep up with WFMU’s Twitter for updates.
If you are lucky enough to be attending Primavera as you read this, be sure to catch the following:
Fucked Up – Ray Ban-Vice Stage – Friday 29th May 00:30
Sonic Youth – Estrella Damm Stage – Saturday 30th May 01:00
Shearwater – Pitchfork Stage – Saturday 30th May 18:15
The dossier is a visual guide to the world of the album, primarily composed of photographs and documents collected by JM from islands and other singular places around the world. Among its pages are the national anthem of Bikini Atoll, the story of a charming and fatally obsessed German aviator and explorer, notes from the daily life of a remote Aboriginal village occupied by missionaries, and photographs from an island Jules Verne considered “The End of the World,” where endangered animals remain unafraid of humans. It also features production credits and full lyrics for The Golden Archipelago and its B-sides.
