David Bazan Streams New Song, Announces Tour

To hype the release of his upcoming solo album, Curse Your Branches, out Sept. 1 on Barsuk, former Pedro The Lion frontman David Bazan is offering the track "Bless This Mess" as a free download on Stereogum. As Bazan tells the blog, "The main lyrical gimmick is sort of a self-conscious and hopeful interpretation of the Beatitudes, which I have an uneasy relationship with as the narrative tends to illustrate." The forthcoming full-length is laden with similar sentiments, as Bazan grapples with doubts about the faith that he once professed, now denounces, and yet can't seem to fully shake.

To support the release, after a series of house shows that marked the beginning of his year, Bazan will set out in the fall on a large-scale North American tour. It will be Bazan's first tour with a full band in four years, and the roster lists Eric Elbogen of Say Hi, Casey Foubert, who has previously toured with Sufjan Stevens and Richard Swift, Andy Fitts of Aqueduct and long-time Bazan collaborator Blake Wescott.

August
15 - Orcas Island, Wash. @ Doe Bay Music Festival

October (with Say Hi)
1 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Independent
2 - Costa Mesa, Calif. @ Detroit Bar
3 - San Diego, Calif. @ Casbah
4 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ Troubadour
5 - Tucson, Ariz. @ Solar Culture
7 - Austin, Texas @ Mohawk
8 - Denton, Texas @ Dan's Silverleaf
9 - Memphis, Tenn. @ Hi-Tone Café
10 - Murray, Ky. @ Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
11 - Birmingham, Ala. @ Bottletree
13 - Orlando, Fla. @ The Social
14 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Drunken Unicorn
15 - Chapel Hill, N.C. @ Cat's Cradle
16 - Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
17 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Kung Fu Necktie
18 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
20 - Cambridge, Mass. @ TT the Bear's
21 - Montreal, QC @ Il Motore
22 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
23 - Pontiac, Mich. @ Pike Room
24 - Chicago, Ill. @ TBA
25 - Champaign, Ill. @ Highdive
27 - Madison, Wisc. @ High Noon Saloon
28 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ Turf Club
29 - Iowa City, Iowa @ The Picador
30 - Lawrence, Kan. @ Jackpot Saloon
31 - Omaha, Neb. @ Slowdown

November
1 - Denver, Colo. @ Hi Dive
2 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court
5 - Vancouver, BC @ Media Club
6 - Portland, Ore. @ Mississippi Studios
7 - Seattle, Wash. @ Neumos

Related links:
News: David Bazan Announces Solo Record
DavidBazan.com
David Bazan on MySpace