Pages tagged “john vanderslice”

As previously reported, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are confirmed for a touring stint this month. But that’s old news. What is new news is that John Vanderslice will be joining him and performing some of his own headlining dates to boot.

Brooklyn outfit the Spanish Prisoners will be joining for a few dates as will the curiously named, one-man-band The Show is the Rainbow, among others. Also, check out the Vanderslice's web home for MP3s and visually stimulating slideshows from his previous tours and travels.

Remaining dates with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks:

March
25 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Mercy Lounge
26 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
28 - Washington, D.C. @ The 9:30 Club
29 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Fillmore
30 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercy Lounge (without Malkmus, tear)*
31 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom

April
1 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
2 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
3 - Boston, Mass. @ Paradise
4 - North Adams, Mass. @ Mass. Museum of Contemporary Art

Headlining dates:

April
5 - Hanover, N.H. @ Dartmouth – Rocket Fuel Club
9 - Lancaster, Pa. @ Chameleon Club
10 - State College, Pa. @ Chronic Town $
11 - Pittsburg, Pa. @ The Andy Warhol Museum $
12 - Athens, Ohio @ Ohio University – the Union Bar
13 - Columbus, Ohio @ Skully’s Music Diner $
15 - Springfield, Mo. @ The Randy Bacon Gallery #
16 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Biliken Club #
17 - Champaign-Urbana, Ill. @ The Canopy Club %
18 - Madison, Wisc. @ University of Wisconsin – Club 770 #
19 - Grinnell, Iowa @ Grinnell College – Gardner Lounge #

* w/ Cotton Jones Basket Ride, Deer Tick
$ w/Spanish Prisoners
% w/ Jared Bartman
# w/The Show is the Rainbow

Updated SM and the Jicks dates:

April
11 - Portland, Ore. @ Jupiter Hotel (Buckman Bash, w/James Mercer)
20 - Austin, Texas @ La Zona Rosa ~
21 - Dallas, Texas @ Granada Theatre ~
23 - Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launchpad ~
24 - Tuscon, Ariz. @ Plush ~
26 - Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
27 - San Francisco, Calif, @ Fillmore ~
28 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Harlow’s ~
30 - Eugene, Ore. @ WOW Hall ~

May
1 - Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom ~
2 - Victoria, British Columbia @ Sugar ~
3 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Richard’s on Richards ~
24-26 - George, Washington @ Sasquatch!
29-31 - Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound Festival

June
5 - London, England @ Shepherd’s Bush Empire
7 - Manchester, England @ Academy 2
8 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Oran Mor
9 - Dublin, Ireland @ Tripod

~ w/The Joggers

Related links:
JohnVanderslice.com
StephenMalkmus.com
Paste: Review: Vanderslice’s Emerald City

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.

John Vanderslice released an incredible song (and several more since, for those counting at home) in 2001 called "You Were My Fiji." Carried by heartbreaking lyrics of lost love and consistent handclaps, it was the strange highlight of his album Time Travel is Lonely, two songs of which you can download from his website.

Brooklyn indie-pop group Bishop Allen also likes handclaps, and put them to use on The Broken String, the band's latest platter of rewarding tunes. In fact, the handclaps are part of a theme of sorts on the record, one that involves intricate instrumental minutiae all over, featuring banjos, xylophones and much more.

What's the moral of the story here? Handclaps rule. Also, Vanderlice and Bishop Allen are hitting the road together starting in mid-September.

Get the clap:

September
17 - Orlando, Fla. @ The Social
18 - St. Augustine, Fla. @ Cafe Eleven
19 - Tallahassee, Fla. @ Club Down Under
20 - Atlanta, Ga. @ The EARL
21 - Durham, N.C. @ Duke Coffeehouse
22 - Washington, D.C. @ Rock and Roll Hotel
24 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Johnny Brenda's
26 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
27 - Cambridge, Mass. @ The Middle East
28 - Cambridge, Mass. @ The Middle East
29 - Buffalo, N.Y. @ Buffalo Icon

October
2 - Ann Arbor, Mich. @ Blind Pig
3 - Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
4 - Athens, Ohio @ Baker Theater
5 - Bloomington, Ind. @ John Waldron Art Center
6 - Chicago, Ill. @ Empty Bottle
8 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ 7th St. Entry
9 - Omaha, Neb. @ The Waiting Room
11 - Denver, Colo. @ Hi Dive
12 - Provo, Utah @ Velour
13 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ Kilby Court
15 - Vancouver, Wash. @ Red Room
17 - Seattle, Wash. @ Neumo's
18 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir
20 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent

Related links:
Band of the Week: Bishop Allen
John Vanderslice - Emerald City
JohnVanderslice.com

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Prodigious singer/songwriter reflects on personal and political turmoil on sixth album in seven years

Inspired by a protracted struggle to get his French girlfriend a visa to join him in the U.S., the sixth full-length release from John Vanderslice is an inherently political yet deeply personal exploration of angst in the age of terrorism. Taking its name from Baghdad’s Green Zone, Emerald City is vividly imagined yet subtle in tone, with conflicted character sketches unfolding around somber synth melodies, creaky electronic effects, and fuzzy acoustic guitar strums. As always, Vanderslice casts a wide net but retains a tight focus, whether animating a hassled 9/11 conspiracy theorist or a struggling frontiersman who has to burn his wagon wheels for warmth. The resulting bitterness and confusion felt by his characters is perfectly reflected in carefully understated balladry and resignedly despairing vocals. But it’s hardly a pop polemic. A master storyteller, Vanderslice prefers to set the scene and walk away from his vignette right before you know exactly what you saw, leaving you only with the sound of desperation and dying machines.

Like steak tartare or single-malt scotch, the songs of John Vanderslice are an acquired taste. On his five Barsuk releases, the San Francisco-based singer/songwriter has employed his slightly raspy voice to unveil stories that are passionate, raw and whimsical, but always meticulously crafted. With influences from Schubert to Spoon and lyrics that touch on everything from Iraqi whores to escaped bunnies, the Vanderslice oeuvre hits your palate in unexpected ways. Like the uncooked filet and the drink that envelops while it burns, his songs are delicacies and you find yourself craving more.

When Vanderslice took the stage on a recent Friday night at Neumo's in Seattle, the sold-out crowd was clearly in the grips of said cravings. In a green, Western-inspired patchwork shirt, jeans and blue brogues, Vanderslice kicked off his set with "Plymouth Rock" from 2005's Pixel Revolt. From the opening chords, his petite frame seemed to expand to fit the stage. And when he sang, "Sew me up again / Get me out of here / I lost the reason/ I lost the reason I'm here" it was impossible not to see the blood-drenched warrior prostrate on the ground. The crowd was enthralled.

Which is not to say the show was a lament or that Vanderslice didn’t bring the rock. Backed by his band, Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday (Ian Bjornstad on Wurlitzer and Moog, Dave Douglas on drums and keyboards, and David Broecker on bass, vocals and keyboards), Vanderslice playfully engaged the audience ("You can sit on the side of the stage if you want") while displaying deft musicianship. A fan in his mid-20s even pogo'd during "Keep the Dream Alive" from 2001's Time Travel is Lonely. And the entire show, the second of the tour, was punctuated throughout with cries of "Broecker!" as the crowd paid tribute to its hometown fave. Perhaps the evening's highlight came on Pixel Revolt's "Exodus Damage." When Vanderslice sang the line, "So you hope that one person could solve everything / and for me / that's you / and sometimes that dream is a sad delusion / but sometimes / it's true," it had the ring of gospel to it, as if emanating from deep within, without rehearsals or re-writes.

John Vanderslice will release his fifth album, Pixel Revolt, on August 23. Collaborators include John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats and Silver Jews frontman David Berman.

Vanderslice will perform at radio stations and record stores throughout North America in August and September. A full-band club tour is planned for October.