When he's not busy perfecting his jump shot, Doug Martsch is oftentimes busy putting pen to paper. And apparently those latter times have been recent. His band Built to Spill, everyone's favorite gang of Boise indie-gone-major rockers, has finished laying down basic tracks for its next studio album. Made up partly of leftovers from 2006's You In Reverse sessions and partly of new compositions, the LP should release in Spring of 2009 via Warner Bros., the label that has put out BtS' last five. Martsch and Co. have recorded 15 tracks, from which they'll pick those that will appear on the record, and will shortly reenter the studio, continuing to record until the end of June.
The band recorded using ProTools rather than analog tape for the first time, Martsch told Billboard.com, which generally allowed increased collaboration between members, and
more specifically, for all three guitarists to record simultaneously.
BtS has already played some of the forthcoming tracks live, such as
"Done," "Good Old Boredom" and "Nowhere Lullabye." Martsch described new
song "Planting Seeds" as "a real conventional kind of pop/rock song. It
reminds me of a Tom Petty song or something, but it probably doesn't
sound anything like that."
While you're waiting impatiently for Spring, the band is embarking on an extensive tour (not that it didn't just finish one of those) that will take BtS from its own neck of the woods to a handful of American festivals, to what reads like every venue in Europe. No half measures for these guys, even in the beard-growing department. Don't expect to hear much of the new material live though; during these stops, the band will reportedly perform its entire 1997 album Perfect From Now On for audiences (with the help of the album's cellist John McMahon), and an encore of catalog-spanning older selections.
Ancient melodies of the very near future:
May
23 - Bend, Ore. @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
24 - Garden City, Idaho @ Visual Arts Center
26 - George, Wash. @ Sasquatch Festival/The Gorge
June
6 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Wakarusa Festival
7 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ The Cabooze - Outdoor Stage
July
3 - Quincy, Calif. @ 18th Annual High Sierra Music Festival
19 - Boise, Idaho @ Expo Idaho Fairgrounds
September
8 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim's
9 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim's
10 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
11 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
12 - Pioneertown, Calif. @ Pappy and Harriet's
17 - New Haven, Conn. @ Toad's Place
18 - Northampton, Mass. @ Calvin Theater
19 - Monticello, N.Y. @ All Tomorrow's Parties Festival
20 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Trocadero
21 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Trocadero
22 - Richmond, Va. @ The National
23 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
24 - Baltimore, Md. @ Ram's Head Live
25 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
26 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
27 - Boston, Mass. @ Orpheum Theatre
October
1 - Nijmegen @ Doornroosje
2 - Amsterdam @ Melkweg
3 - Utrecht @ Tivoli
4 - Groningen @ Take rot
5 - Brussels @ AB Box
6 - Aarhus @ VoxHall
7 - Copenhagen @ Loppen
9 - Stavanger @ Folken
10 - Bergen @ USF
11 - Oslo @ Rockefeller
12 - Goteborg @ Sticky Fingers
13 - Stockholm @ Debaser Medis
14 - Malmo @ KB
15 - Bielefeld @ Forum
16 - Bochum @ Bhf Langendeer
17 - Stuttgart @ Universum
18 - Heidelberg @ Karlstorbahnhof
19 - Nurnberg @ K4
Related links:
BuiltToSpill.com
Feature: Doug Martsch: From Built to Spill to Boise Blues
Feature: Built to Spill: This Meaning Will Self-Destruct
Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.
While you're waiting impatiently for Spring, the band is embarking on an extensive tour (not that it didn't just finish one of those) that will take BtS from its own neck of the woods to a handful of American festivals, to what reads like every venue in Europe. No half measures for these guys, even in the beard-growing department. Don't expect to hear much of the new material live though; during these stops, the band will reportedly perform its entire 1997 album Perfect From Now On for audiences (with the help of the album's cellist John McMahon), and an encore of catalog-spanning older selections.
Ancient melodies of the very near future:
May
23 - Bend, Ore. @ Les Schwab Amphitheater
24 - Garden City, Idaho @ Visual Arts Center
26 - George, Wash. @ Sasquatch Festival/The Gorge
June
6 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Wakarusa Festival
7 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ The Cabooze - Outdoor Stage
July
3 - Quincy, Calif. @ 18th Annual High Sierra Music Festival
19 - Boise, Idaho @ Expo Idaho Fairgrounds
September
8 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim's
9 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim's
10 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
11 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
12 - Pioneertown, Calif. @ Pappy and Harriet's
17 - New Haven, Conn. @ Toad's Place
18 - Northampton, Mass. @ Calvin Theater
19 - Monticello, N.Y. @ All Tomorrow's Parties Festival
20 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Trocadero
21 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Trocadero
22 - Richmond, Va. @ The National
23 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
24 - Baltimore, Md. @ Ram's Head Live
25 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
26 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
27 - Boston, Mass. @ Orpheum Theatre
October
1 - Nijmegen @ Doornroosje
2 - Amsterdam @ Melkweg
3 - Utrecht @ Tivoli
4 - Groningen @ Take rot
5 - Brussels @ AB Box
6 - Aarhus @ VoxHall
7 - Copenhagen @ Loppen
9 - Stavanger @ Folken
10 - Bergen @ USF
11 - Oslo @ Rockefeller
12 - Goteborg @ Sticky Fingers
13 - Stockholm @ Debaser Medis
14 - Malmo @ KB
15 - Bielefeld @ Forum
16 - Bochum @ Bhf Langendeer
17 - Stuttgart @ Universum
18 - Heidelberg @ Karlstorbahnhof
19 - Nurnberg @ K4
Related links:
BuiltToSpill.com
Feature: Doug Martsch: From Built to Spill to Boise Blues
Feature: Built to Spill: This Meaning Will Self-Destruct
Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.
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