popwreckoning

Pardon the horrendous pun there.

Friday was quite the evening, running from…well I guess there were only three venues, two of which were two doors down from each other. But regardless, it was definitely a night to remember.

It began at Backspace, where Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives started the lineup (which also included The Globes, P.S. I Love You and the Thermals). I would have stayed for the whole night at Backspace, but I’ve seen the Globes and the Thermals several times, and had no wish to see P.S. I Love You.

But Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives were perfect. This small venue (which is a cafe before anything else) filled comfortably while there was still some light in the sky. The stage was barely elevated, making the crowd literally face to face with the band, and much more intimate. I wish the set had been longer, because it felt like it was just getting to the really good part when they finished the set. But really, the whole set was the good part – the giant intense gospel-tinged folk rock. Don’t be fooled by the “gospel” and “folk” in that sentence though, Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives are still pretty darn heavy – so much so that you can feel it from your throat to the soles of your feet.

After their set, I looked at my schedule for the address to the next venue – the Someday Lounge. And lo and behold – I stepped out the door, looked to my left, and there it was two doors down from Backspace. I had to walk but maybe 50 feet. Maybe.

This place had a completely different energy – it was darker and more quiet, and a bit smellier. I’d gone there to see the Music Tapes, a.k.a. Julian Koster, of the Elephant 6 Collective (also see Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, the Apples in Stereo). I’d seen the Music Tapes as part of an Elephant 6 Collective show back in March at the Vera Project in Seattle, and he was by far the most memorable and more charismatic of the group (sadly Jeff Mangum didn’t show up to that). So I had to take advantage of the chance to see Julian Koster again.

I’ll just say this – he played a saw with a violin bow. And there was a 7-foot metronome. Enough said.

After the first half of the Music Tapes’ set, I had to skip out to make it across town to the Doug Fir, where I’d be spending the rest of my evening.

It’s not like it’s a long drive, but on Portland roads, if you get turned around or don’t find parking right away, it can take awhile.

I was hoping I’d make it for the last bit of Pickwick’s opening set, but I was too late, sad to say.

However, I did get a nice surprise.

I knew absolutely nothing about the next band to play, Lost Lander. So I used my trusty Google phone to dig up some dirt on this band. It turned out that it was a project of songwriter Matt Sheehy and none other than ex-Menomenaut Brent Knopf. So they had to be good.

I thought at first after reading about Lost Lander that Knopf was merely a producer and he worked on recording the album with Sheehy, but as I was standing up in front of the stage of the Doug Fir with some new friends, I look to my right and there is Brent Knopf. Naturally, I had a little bit of a fangirl moment. You see, I saw Menomena at last year’s Musicfest Northwest, and it was the greatest show of the festival – maybe of the year. When I found out that Knopf was leaving the band in January, I basically cried. So now that I was seeing Knopf again at Musicfest, I was overjoyed, even if it wasn’t with Menomena.

Lost Lander’s set was awesome, and not just because Knopf was in the back corner. It was one of my favorite shows of the whole festival.

After I was thoroughly pleased, AgesandAges took the stage for their exuberant set. Seriously, they were dancing all over the place, and I couldn’t help be dance and sing along, even though I didn’t really know any of their songs. The Portland natives certainly played to their hometown, because the whole crowd was rocking.

I enjoyed their set so much that I didn’t even care so much that they started 25 minutes late. But once they were done I realized that it was after midnight, when Givers were supposed to start at midnight. The time was starting to catch up with me.

But I didn’t care, because Givers was the band I’d been waiting to see all weekend, and the reason I’d stayed at the Doug Fir all night without switching venues. I wasn’t about to leave and come back, risking the venue filling up.

It was 12:40 by the time the Lafayette, Louisiana natives took the stage, and I loved every minute of it until 2 a.m. when guitarist Taylor Guarisco had to literally tell the crowd to shut up because the Doug Fir was kicking us all out.

I thought AgesandAges brought the energy. Pfft, they were good, but nothing compared to Givers. I don’t know where this band gets all their positive and joyful energy. It’s infectious, and with great songs like “Up Up Up” and “In My Eyes,” you can’t go wrong, even at 1 a.m.

Since I’d run into Guarisco at the Sasquatch Festival back in May, he recognized me at Musicfest as well, so we chatted a bit after the show, at 2:30 a.m., because sleep is overrated. It was nice making a reconnection with a band, and when it’s a band that charming, with that much talent, and that close to hitting it big, it made me feel that much better.

Well done guys, well done.

So I’d say Friday was a success, wouldn’t you? I mean, I don’t regret staying up until 3:00 a.m., and that says something.

For more photos from Friday, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627636436068/

This was perhaps the busiest Thursday night I’d ever experienced. I went to four different venues within Portland and saw six bands.

Let’s get this started, shall we?

I ventured to the Wonder Ballroom, which sits in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, for headliners Brand New. However, I’d completely forgotten that the Joy Formidable was opening for them, but I’m thankful I got there as early as I did, because the Joy Formidable rocked my socks off. I mean seriously. I’d only heard one of their songs before this show, and I was an instant fan. This was the afternoon that I realized that the girl rockers were back. By the end of the festival, I noticed that only three of the bands didn’t have girls playing with them.

Ritzy Bryan is a fierce front woman, even though she stands about 5’3” in heels. Rhydian Dafydd (and that’s a Welsh name, so I guarantee ‘Dafydd’ isn’t pronounced that way) sweat through his shirt by the middle of the set, but then again it was at least 90 degrees in there.

This is a band to watch. I’m sure of it.

To be honest, after the Joy Formidable’s set, Brand New wasn’t all that special for me. It was nice to see a band that I’ve liked (on and off) since I was 13, but after the first three or four songs I was satisfied. I’m not big on too much screaming anymore like I was when I was in junior high, but Brand New put on a show worthy of 90-degree weather, from what I caught.

Thankfully the next venue I went to had air conditioning – the Doug Fir. I can’t tell you how much I love that place. It is comfortable, roomy, the food is good, there is free water, the bathrooms are relatively clean, and that places gets some amazing bands. And as well as a music venue and restaurant upstairs – the Doug Fir is also connected to a hotel, the Jupiter. Oh and did I mention that there is free street parking? Yeah, I love this venue.

On this particular evening, I went to the Doug Fir to see Portland’s own Brainstorm, whom I knew absolutely nothing about other than what the MFNW site said, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. It’s an odd mixture – two well-coifed blonde guys, one on guitar and one on drums and both singing – doing catchy surf rock. Think Surfer Blood but switch out Florida for Portland, and that’s what you get with Brainstorm. Also, a few songs into their set, they brought out a female keyboardist. That’s one more on the list of bands with girls in them!

After Brainstorm was Purity Ring, kind of an inexplicable band. When they started playing I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it or not, but that’s mainly because the lighting was stressing my out trying to get photos. But they were surprisingly polished and unique. Purity Ring consisted of a female vocalist and percussionist and male instrumentalist – and I say instrumentalist because I don’t even know what he was playing. He was beating on a set of pipes that lit up at the end, making different toned with each strike, so I’m not sure what to call it, but I just know it was cool.

I debated staying the entire evening to see Phantogram later that night because the Doug Fir was at capacity, but I had a couple more places I wanted to go.

First was Holocene – a venue I’d never been to – for Twin Sister. I saw this band open for the Morning Benders last year and they were Fantastic with a capital F. I fell in love with their sultry sounds at Neumos, but I was so disappointed with their set at Holocene. I didn’t think my tastes had changed that much in a year, but I just was not feeling their vibe on Thursday. Singer Andrea Estella looked wide-eyed and confused and awkward on stage, and their chillwave melodies were almost too chillwave so the rest of the band was half awake.

So either their set at Musicfest was a fluke or I was on a different wavelength last year. It probably didn’t help my attitude that night that a guy spilled his green minty drink on me. I smelled like toothpaste for the rest of the night.

Since I skipped out on Twin Sister early, I headed over to the Bunk Bar  – another venue I was unfamiliar with – to see one of my hometown heroes Damian Jurado. This guy is one of those Seattle musicians that hovers around open mics and you’ll see him everywhere, and because he is so good you feel a bit starstruck but considering how close the Seattle music scene is, you feel sort of silly acting starstruck. The Bunk Bar is a small bar with absolutely no light, but a friendly vibe and a great view from the outside window. It was especially awesome when several members of Seattle’s Pickwick and Sharon Van Etten walked in. That’s one thing that I really love about Musicfest Northwest – you’ll see one band at a different band’s set, like it’s a completely normal thing. But I guess in a city like Portland, that is a normal thing.

Pardon the pun.

I couldn’t resist.

But seriously though, as the kick-off to this year’s Musicfest Northwest (or MFNW for future reference), The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom were awesome. I caught maybe five minutes of their set at Bumbershoot, but this venue was so much better for them, with the smoke machine and creepy paintings of cherubs on the walls. The only downside was the fact that it may have gotten to be over 100 degrees in there at some point.

For some ungodly reason Portland was in the low 90s all weekend, and you know what that means for music venues – they’re even hotter. But surprisingly, I didn’t see anyone pass out the whole time I was there.

But back to the music, shall we? Eleanor Friedberger, of the Fiery Furnaces, opened for the Kills, with an understated, but stellar performance. It was virtually just herself up on the stage, and she was very well-received by the possibly-dehydrated crowd, and it made for a lovely opening set.

I’m just amazing that she survived that stage wearing all that denim. It was refreshing to see her without her brother Matthew, though her style stayed true to the sound we all know from her – gritty garage blues, but solo Eleanor had a bit more sassy pop to her. I liked it.

After the temperature of the room went up like… at least ten degrees, more smoke machines were turned on and even more people crowded in. Thank god for the free water station at the back of the room.

I will start off by saying – Alison Mosshart is one of the best front…women? I’ve ever seen. No, one of the best frontpeople – because she can stand next to Anthony Kiedis any day. I’m serious. This chick can rock her ass off – and it doesn’t hurt that her hair on this particular occasion was flaming red.

She’s crazy. Crazy awesome that is. She and guitarist Jamie Hince have all the chemistry two people need on stage, but it was so unspoken and understated that you almost forgot that there were two separate people on stage.

The Kills’ live performance was much bluesier than one would expect from the bands’ earlier albums. I guess Mosshart’s time with the Dead Weather rubbed off a bit, because the new songs were much heavier than previous albums, but just as good and just as sexy. And the opening number with “No Wow” was definitely not ‘no wow.’

Oh come on, I couldn’t not do it.

By the end of the evening, I was thoroughly satisfied with the Kills’ live show, even if I was a bit sweaty. Alison Mosshart might be my new favourite person to photograph. The girl does not stop moving!

Believe it or not, I decided to do Bumbershoot and Musicfest Northwest back-to-back for the second year in a row. This year’s lineup is full of amazing Portlanders, spectacular Seattleites, and some fantastic foreigners (pardon the alliteration; I couldn’t help myself).

If you don’t know much about Musicfest Northwest, you aren’t alone. The Willamette Weekly-sponsored festival takes place within the city at all the venues throughout North, South, East, and West Portland. The setup is similar to South by Southwest, but not quite as big. This year’s festival takes place starting today, September 7, to Sunday, September 11.

Here I’ve compiled my complete list of bands you should definitely not miss (or at least try and see).

Wednesday (TODAY):

9:00: Eleanor Friedberger at the Crystal Ballroom. Separated from the Fiery Furnaces, Friedberger’s debut album did not disappoint. Here’s hoping her live show doesn’t either.

10:00: The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom. I barely got to see any of their set at Bumbershoot, so I’ve giving it a second go.

11:00: The Corin Tucker Band at Mississippi Studios. The last time I heard about the Corin Tucker Band was when Eddie Vedder showed up to the Showbox in Seattle and jammed on stage. Heck, who knows? It might happen again.

Thursday:

6:00: The Joy Formidable at the Wonder Ballroom. The last album garnered a huge radio hit with “Whirring,” and I’m waiting anxiously to see if it lives up to the hype live. It is a really catchy song, so I’m sure I’ll enjoy myself.

7:30: Brand New at the Wonder Ballroom. I’ve been waiting to see this band for so long, and I finally get my wish. It’s an odd venue for them, but I don’t care where I see them.

9:00: Brainstorm at the Doug Fir. One of the few bands I don’t know much about at this year’s festival, I’m intrigued by everything I read about them. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “Crushing riffs, explosive percussion, old world chanting, casio disco, and jaunty tuba lines make Brainstorm one of the most exhilarating and unique bands around.” Heck yes!

10:00: Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Hawthorne Theater. Again, another band I know absolutely nothing about, but I might as well broaden my horizons while I’m in my favourite city. From the Musicfest Northwest website: “like Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on a creepy, never released kid’s show.”

11:00: Twin Sister at Holocene. I saw this band open for the Morning Benders last fall and they blew me away. Sexy subtle indie pop will be a good way to spend my Thursday night.

12 AM: EITHER Damian Jurado at Bunk Bar OR Phantogram at the Doug Fir. I can’t decide. After seeing Phantogram this weekend at Bumbershoot I want to see more and more of them, but I also really want to see one of Seattle’s finest – Damian Jurado. Who knows. Whichever venue I’m closest to will probably be the deciding factor.

Friday:

5:00: Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I won’t be able to see this show, since I saw her, oh, two days ago, but I highly recommend her classic blues rock with a twang.

6:00: Marketa Irglova at Pioneer Courthouse Square. One half of the Swell Season, how could you not resist?

7:30: Iron and Wine at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If it was any later in the evening, I’d opt out of this one because Iron and Wine is so low-key, but this will be perfect for just around sunset. Purely beautiful.

8:00: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives at Backspace. This band is amazing. After going through a rough beginning of the year, Drew Grow overcame a rather tragic bus accident to come back swinging. I’m pretty sure one of my next couple Fantastically Local features will be about Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives. Be sure of it.

9:00: EITHER The Globes at Backspace OR Pickwick at the Doug Fir OR the Music Tapes at the Someday Lounge. Again, I can’t decide. I love Julian Koster (i.e. the Music Tapes), and I love the Globes, and I have a newfound love for Pickwick. Seriously, you’re going to make me decide?

10:00: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at the Roseland Theater. I probably won’t be able to make it out to this one because of my busy schedule, but if you like hip-hop (hell and even if you don’t) at least consider checking out Macklemore. He filled the Key Arena to capacity last weekend. That’s saying something.

11:00: Dan Mangan at Mississippi Studios OR Blitzen Trapper at the Crystal Ballroom. In my circle, Dan Mangan is known as Vancouver’s most adorable, but he has all the songwriting chops and charisma to back up his charming smile. And Blitzen Trapper’s new album Destroyer of the Void is so effing fantastic. How am I supposed to decide?

12 AM: GIVERS at the Doug Fir. No matter what I’m not missing this band. I will stand out in line for an hour beforehand if that’s what it takes. After seeing their set at Sasquatch back in May, I can’t get enough of them. And since they’re finally headliners, I can’t wait to see what’s to come of their deep south psychedelic pop.

Saturday:

5:00: Typhoon at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band built up of an almost unnecessary number of members can really rock out. My first experience with them was at Sasquatch, and I’m excited to see the Portland natives again.

6:00: The Antlers at Pioneer Courthouse Square. This band is amazingly underrated. With an unassuming facade, The Antlers was one of the best bands I’ve seen at the last two festivals I’ve been to.

7:30: Explosions in the Sky at Pioneer Courthouse Square. I’m still not entirely sure how instrumental post-rock is going to go down in the Pioneer Courthouse Square, but EITS albums are some of the most interesting I’ve heard in recent years.

Also, this would be a good point for some Voodoo Doughnuts.

9:00: Kelli Schaefer at Bunk Bar. Kelli Schaefer not only is one of Portland’s newest shining stars, her latest album is truly splendid. She recorded it with label mate (and fellow festival act) Drew Grow, so I’m sure you’ll be anything by disappointed.

10:00: Avi Buffalo at the Crystal Ballroom. Seeing the Long Beach indie-pop band Avi Buffalo is a long time coming for me, and I’m not about to give it up.

11:00: Jared Mees and the Grown Children at Rontoms. Here’s another one of those bands that saying their almost takes longer than it does to fall in love with their music (see Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives). Plus, playing to a hometown crowd will be even sweeter.

12 AM: The Moondoggies at Bunk Bar. The Moondoggies are another band that is completely unassuming at first glance, but once you hear them, you forgot everything you thought to begin with. Their last album Tidelands took the full and beautiful harmonies and added several dynamics for a more well-rounded sound.

Sunday:

4:00-9:00: Bobby Bare Jr, Morning Teleportation, Cass McCombs Band, Band of Horses at Pioneer Courthouse Square. If you’ve got tickets to this, it’s really your only option for the day, so live it up!

Hailing from Portland, OR, Lovers made one of my favorite records of 2010. Dark Light is a hazy set of electronic pop, heavy on heartbreak, and fantastic hooks.

To say that their set is anticipated would be a vast understatement. Dark Light has been something of an obsession, and I’ve been dying for a chance to see them. They will rock the Vera Stage on Saturday, and it will be good. You should be there, too.

Lovers will be playing Saturday 5:00-5:30 p.m. at the Vera Project.

As part of the Grand Opening for McMenamin’s new Crystal Hotel in downtown Portland, M. Ward played a three-day series of shows at the Crystal Ballroom, each day with different openers. The Corin Tucker band opened on Tuesday, David Bazan opened on Wednesday, and on Thursday, the day I attended, Built to Spill frontman Doug Martsch took the opening slot.

On the clear night, people slowly crowded into the upstairs ballroom with its bouncy floors and cherub designs that lined the walls. The crowd for Doug Martsch’s set was surprisingly small, but his acoustic songs of an often-melancholy and sometimes-morbid were quite enjoyable. “5 on 3,” a song about a five-year-old on three hits of acid was one that stuck out as particularly “wtf,” as it was upbeat in melody – a song that you wanted to dance to.

After Martsch’s set, M. Ward took the stage with his band, and the room filled up quite a bit more.

Ward’s sultry swagger translated tremendously on stage – he’s low-key but also full of attitude. That plus his retro blues rock feel made for a wondering Thursday night in downtown Portland.

He started out with “Poison Cup,” “4 Hours,” and “Poor Boy,” and then my favorite – his cover of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” I almost like it more than the original version. Nothing against David Bowie, but Ward’s version is so much sexier.

For the next hour and a half, Ward played through twenty more songs from his repertoire, including one that someone requested that wasn’t originally on his set list.

My favorite part of the evening came during the latter half of the set. Ward’s guitar went out completely in the middle of a song, and as he and his roadies began to try and get the plugs working again, Ward just went over to the piano and played his guitar solo on the piano. It was a perfectly improvisational and sincere moment, which made the crowd go wild.

One thing’s for sure, because Ward doesn’t tour much outside of She & Him, and he rarely gives interviews, it was nice to see him in his element surrounded by hometown love.

SET LIST
1. Poison Cup
2. 4 Hours
3. Poor Boy
4. Let’s Dance
5. Never had nobody
6. To save me
7. Rave on
8. Howlin’
9. Post-war
10. Roller coaster
11. Paul’s song
12. Chinese translation
13. Requiem
14. Sad Sad
15. Right in the head
16. Whole lotta losing
17. Helicopter
18. Big boat
Encore no. 1
1. Fahey
2. Walking the floor over you
3. To go home
Encore No. 2
1. Beethoven

As part of the Grand Opening of McMenamin’s newest hotel, the downtown Portland Crystal Hotel, Portland native M. Ward is playing three consecutive nights at the Crystal Ballroom, Tuesday, May 3 through Thursday, May 5.

Wednesday’s festivities will also include local favorite David Bazan, Scott McCaughey, Charlie Gabriel & The Mel Brown Trio, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company, “Meet the Makers” brewery tasting, The Lord’s Own Choir, and an afterparty w/DJ Sam Huff.

Thursday’s show will feature Doug Martsch, Scott McCaughey, Charlie Gabriel & The Mel Brown Trio, Carl Smith and the Natural Gas Company, Tequila Tasting – Featuring Sauza and Tres Generaciones, “Meet the Makers” winery tasting, The Lord’s Own Choir, and a DJ’d Afterparty with Doug Martsch.

Events begin at 4 p.m., and entry is free, except for M. Ward at 8 p.m., which is $25 in advance, and $25 the day of the show.

After this show, M. Ward will be heading out on a solo European tour until the end of May, and a U.S. and Canadian tour in June and July.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to McMenamins.com.

05.03.2011 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05.04.2011 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05.05.2011 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
05.09.2011 Stockholm, Sweden @ Royal Theatre
05.10.2011 Oslo, Norway @  Parkteatret
05.13.2011 Paris, France @ La Gaite Lyrique
05.15.2011 London, England @ Union Chapel
05.17.2011 Lisbon, Portugal @ Aula Magna
05.18.2011 Porto, Portugal @ Teatro Sa da Bandeira
05.19.2011 Vigo, Spain @ Audiorio de Vigo
05.22.2011 Granada, Spain @ Isodro Marquez Theatre
05.23.2011 Madrid, Spain @ Teatro Lara
05.24.2011 Bilboa, Spain @ Teatro BBK
05.27.2011 Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Festival
06.10.2011 Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for Performing Arts
06.11.2011 Vienna, VA @ Filene Center @ Wolftrap
06.25.2011 Berkeley, CA @ Greek Theatre
06.26.2011 Davis, CA @ Mondavi Center
07.07.2011 Winnipeg, MB Canada @ Winnipeg Folk
07.09.2011 Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues
07.11.2011 Quebec City, QC @ Quebec City Summer Festival
07.31.2011 Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival

For more information visit http://www.mwardmusic.com/

Photo by Abby Williamson

In case you hadn’t heard, Brent Knopf has left Menomena. No, he hasn’t announced that he’ll be leaving after this next tour – the original Menomena lineup is no more as of last week. Pitchfork was the first to report it last Friday, and I have to say – I was more than just a little bit upset.

While the news is heartbreaking to those of us who were planning on seeing them in Austin in March for SXSW, the remaining members will still be going on with this tour. Whether you still want to see them is still questionable, but I do have some good news for you.

Knopf’s announcement was not his retirement announcement, more like “I’ve left the band to pursue other things.” Knopf will now be exclusively working on Ramona Falls music, which is good news in itself, but quite bittersweet.

Being a big fan of Menomena, and the last record in particular, I’m still holding out hope that Knopf will one day return to Danny Seim and Justin Harris to rekindle the odd and amazing genius that they’ve created over the last ten years, but I’m not counting on it.

So while we mourn the loss of one of Portland’s finest, take a gander at some of their most memorable videos, live performances, and some stuff you may not have seen.

“Five Little Rooms” (live on KEXP)

“Cough Coughing”

“Intil” live at OPB

RealcookN.tv Episode 10 – Potato and Cheddar Pierogies from Dave Curlee on Vimeo.

“Evil Bee”

“Wet and Rusting” – A Takeaway Show

And if you haven’t heard any of Knopf’s Ramona Falls stuff, take a gander.

Ramona Falls – “Russia”

If you still would like to see what remains of the band on their upcoming tour, dates are below. But I know I’m glad I had the chance to see them play in their hometown back in September, at perhaps one of the best shows I saw in 2010, maybe ever.

The tour will feature Paul Alcott on keyboards, rounding out the quartet.

• 03/03/11 Menom­ena in Min­neapo­lis, MN at U of M Buy tick­ets
• 03/05/11 Menom­ena in Ames, IA at The Main­te­nance Shop Buy tick­ets
• 03/06/11 Menom­ena in Iowa City, IA at The Mill Buy tick­ets
• 03/09/11 Menom­ena in Colum­bia, MO at Blue Note Buy tick­ets
• 03/10/11 Menom­ena in St Louis, MO at The Gargoyle
• 03/11/11 Menom­ena in Louisville, KY at Head­lin­ers Music Ball Buy tick­ets
• 03/12/11 Menom­ena in Ashville, NC at The Orange Peel Buy tick­ets
• 03/15/11 Menom­ena in New Orleans, LA at Repub­lic Buy tick­ets
• 03/16/11 Menom­ena in Hous­ton, TX at Ware­house Live Buy tick­ets

Today on Twitter, The Decemberists‘ frontman Colin Meloy announced the title of the group’s upcoming album, The King Is Dead.

The album will be released January 18, 2011.

You can download a free track from the album called “Down By the Water” here.

Due to personal reasons, Electric Six has been forced to cancel its shows from October 25-October 30. This affects Seattle, Portland, Boise, Salt Lake City, Denver and Kansas City.

The band plans to reschedule these dates.

The tour resumes in St. Louis on Halloween.

Below is the full message from the band on the cancellation: