Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Share Mini Documentary, Sparkle Hard: The Movie

Former Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus and his band The Jicks have unveiled a new short documentary to coincide with the release of their new album Sparkle Hard, out on May 18 via Matador Records.

Directed by Brook Linder, the eponymous short film was shot on location in Portland, Ore. this January. Linder explained his connection with Malkmus and his vision for the documentary in a statement, saying, “I have long been a Malkmus fan, and for years have thought very hard about what I would make with him given the opportunity. He’s such a unique character and there’s obviously so much history involved—making anything at all seemed pretty formidable. To me he is mysterious and nothing is obvious. The idea of making a typical visual to match the sound was out straight away.”

Linder also recalled the first time he saw Malkmus live in 2007: “The set was mostly Malkmus and an acoustic guitar, and it was so raw and funny and vulnerable and felt rare and weird. I wanted to capture that side of Malkmus somehow—to grab the mundane details of his life—and it turns out they’re as enigmatic as he is.”

Besides his obvious roles as songwriter and lead vocalist, Malkmus is also shown in the documentary taking on additional roles, like tennis champion, horseback rider and just a regular dude. Malkmus says of the unexpected benefits of making the documentary, “Since watching this doc, I’ve improved my tennis game immensely … I’ve shortened my follow through on the forehand and made progress on a buttery topspin backhand.”

The band will embark on a North American tour this summer, playing songs from their new album, including their previously announced singles “Refute” (featuring Kim Gordon), “Shiggy” and “Middle America.” Their 31-date tour will see the band playing major cities like Chicago, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Nashville, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland and others.

Watch the new short film below and check out the band’s upcoming tour dates further down, along with a 2009 Malkmus performance from the Paste Cloud. You can preorder Sparkle Hard here.

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Tour Dates:

June
01 – St. Paul, Minn. @ Turf Club
02 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ The Back Room at Colectivo
03 – Chicago, Ill. @ Thalia Hall
05 – Columbus, Ohio @ Ace of Cups
06 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Rex Theater
07 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
08 – Detroit, Mich. @ Magic Stick
09 – Toronto, Ontario @ Lee’s Palace
11 – Montreal, Quebec @ Theatre Fairmount
12 – Cambridge, Mass. @ The Sinclair
14 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
16 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Theatre of Living Arts
17 – Washington, D.C. @ Black Cat
19 – Carrboro, N.C. @ Cat’s Cradle
20 – Athens, Ga. @ The Georgia Theatre
21 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Mercy Lounge
22 – Louisville, Ky. @ Zanzabar
23 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ The Woodward Theater

July
17 – Petaluma, Calif. @ Mystic Theatre
18 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Slim’s
22 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Crescent Ballroom
25 – Austin, Texas @ The Mohawk
26 – Houston, Texas @ White Oak Music Hall
27 – Dallas, Texas @ Granada Theater
28 – Tulsa, Okla. @ The Vanguard
29 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Record Bar
31 – Englewood, Colo. @ Gothic Theatre

August
01 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ Urban Lounge
03 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rickshaw Theatre
04 – Seattle, Wash. @ Neptune Theatre
05 – Portland, Ore. @ Star Theater