Adored Mailing List Recipients,
Decemberists HQ here with your first Not Specifically Decemberists-Related Update of 2013! Although The Decemberists continue to be in collective stasis, that doesn’t mean we don’t have news that’s worthy of your generous inbox hospitality.
First, Colin will perform at three great folk-leaning festivals this summer which will mark his first official solo sets in a very long time. He’ll be at Winnipeg Folk Festival in mid-July, Newport Folk Festival in late July (which also happens to feature Black Prairie on the lineup, who we’ll discuss shortly), and Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, CO in mid-August. More details can be found below.
In addition to these festival dates, Colin will be one of many on hand to celebrate Robyn Hitchcock’s 60th birthday at VIVA HITCHCOCK! on May 2nd at the Fillmore in San Francisco. Headlined by Hitchcock and the Venus 3 (Scott McCaughey, Bill Rieflin and Peter Buck), the evening will also feature performances by Amanda Palmer, Rhett Miller, Young Fresh Fellows, Andy Cabic (of Vetiver), Eric D. Johnson (of Fruit Bats), and Sean Nelson with Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) as MC. Keep an eye out for our very own John Moen on drums with the house band throughout the show. Tickets are on sale now.
You can catch Jenny, Nate, Funk, and John tonight as Black Prairie makes its network television debut on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35 pm ET. While likely not what they’ll choose to play on air, you can watch their recent Led Zeppelin cover recorded at SiriusXM’s The Loft here. One can only hope their TV debut goes better than the band’s session at so-called music blog Up In The Branches. You can keep further abreast of Black Prairie’s happenings, live and otherwise, by joining their mailing list.
This has admittedly been a North American-centric email so we have something of particular interest to our European friends (apologies to everywhere else… it’s hard to please everyone!). All merchandise in the European Decemberists Shop is now 50% off! The sale includes some classic tees and hoodies, along with some special items from previous European tours. Check it out here.
Yours,
The Decemberists HQ
decemberists.com
twitter.com/thedecemberists
Colin Meloy:
May 2 – VIVA HITCHCOCK!, San Francisco, CA
July 11 – Winnipeg Folk Festival, Winnipeg, MB
July 26-28 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
August 16-18 – Rocky Mt Folks Festival, Lyons, CO
Black Prairie:
April 12 – Live Wire! Radio, Portland, OR
May 3 – May Day Music Fest, Portland, OR
July 18-21 – Northwest String Summit, North Plains, OR
July 26-28 – Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI
October 19 – Oregon Symphony, Portland, OR
Adored Mailing List Recipients,
While the live-action Decemberists are still hibernating, their animated counterparts are poised to debut on The Simpsons tomorrow night (Sunday) at 8pm ET on FOX (and live on into eternity through the power of syndication). Their appearance isn’t a mere cameo – the band also wrote and recorded original music for the episode. And Colin penned his line himself which makes it that much more Decemberist-ier.
The episode, entitled “The Day The Earth Stood Cool,” also features the great Patton Oswalt, Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen. Be sure to tune in via your preferred visual entertainment medium.
As you know, the Decemberists Shop is your destination for top quality Decemberists goods of all shapes, sizes, colors and sounds. And we are pleased to share with you that a Holiday Sale is underway. Mosey on over to the shop to find 20% off all apparel, all posters, odd & ends, and select music. While we’re talking shop…a few other items for you to explore:
The Wildwood Chronicles Shop has three new giclée prints, signed and numbered, in editions of 100, featuring Carson Ellis’s illustrations (see below).
Also, if you haven’t already picked it up, Black Prairie’s second album “A Tear in the Eye is a Wound in the Heart” and other fantastic Black Prairie swag is available here. Funk, Nate, Jenny et al. will be on tour again in January and beyond – the dates are listed below with full show info on their site.
Black Prairie upcoming dates:
1/16 – Brooklyn NY at Union Hall *
1/17 – Philadelphia, PA at Milkboy *
1/18 – Vienna, VA at Jammin Java #
1/19 – Pittsburgh, PA at Club Cafe #
1/20 – Morgantown, WV at Mountain Stage #
1/31 – Seattle, WA at the Tractor
2/1 – Eugene, OR at the Shedd Institute
3/15 – San Francisco, CA at Bottom of the Hill
3/16 – Santa Monica, CA at McCabe’s
* with John Wesley Harding
# with Rhett Miller
Happy holidays, everyone!
Yours,
The Decemberists
decemberists.com
twitter.com/thedecemberists
Adored Mailing List Recipients,
Even though the Decemberists themselves are in deep-sleep hibernation mode, like those people in the Alien movies, but with a likelier rate of future survival, the Decemberists HQ machine is as healthy, vibrant and not-Alien-impregnated as ever.
POINT OF FACT 1:
The Decemberists will be appearing as special guests, in yellowface, on an upcoming episode of The Simpsons! Program your TiVo! Fire up the DVR! Rotate your Roku! Keelhaul your Apple TV! You heard that right — The Decemberists on The Simpsons! Because of the thick shroud of secrecy that hovers over every upcoming season of this perennial American favorite television series, we cannot disclose the plot of the episode in which the band appears, seemingly via wormhole, in the world of Springfield — suffice it to say: it’s called “The Day The Earth Stood Cool” and it’ll be unleashed December 2nd, at 8 pm ET, on FOX. SNEAK PEEK:
POINT OF FACT 2:
Colin, with Decemberists Illustratrix Carson Ellis, has written a sequel to the New York Times bestselling WILDWOOD — it’s called UNDER WILDWOOD and is set to be available in fine bookstores, nationwide, on September 25th. Alternately, you can pre-order it here and here and even here. Carson and Colin will be dropping in on a handful of those self-same fine bookstores on their upcoming book tour! Info to be found here! Come say hello! Get yer book signed! Also: if you’d like to find out more about the book and its predecessor, LIKE the WILDWOOD CHRONICLES on Facebook.
POINT OF FACT 3:
Chris, Jenny and Nate have been busy with their exploratory, back-porch ensemble Black Prairie, which has another record “in the can,” in the parlance of the industry. It’s called A Tear in the Eye is a Wound in the Heart, and is another lovely collection of songs, this time featuring a wellspring of the inimitable vocal stylings of fiddler Annalisa Tornfelt, as well as guest drumming from our own John Moen. You can listen to the lead single of the record here; it’s called “How You Ruin Me.” And the pre-order for the album, out September 18th, is currently underway HERE. They’re also going on tour, doncha know, and the dates are as follows:
09/20 Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
09/21 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
10/18 Valparaiso, IN – Front Porch Music
10/19 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern
10/20 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
10/21 Madison, WI – The Frequency
11/08 Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
11/09 Arlington, VA – IOTA Club & Cafe
11/10 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
11/11 Allston, MA – Great Scott
So that’s three POINTS OF FACT to show that, while The Decemberists-as-Decemberists are lying in egg-like sarcophagi, attended to by a pale, stilted cyborg, their non-Decemberist counterparts are as busy as beavers; which is three points of fact more than you had when you woke up this morning.
Until next time,
Yours,
The Decemberists
decemberists.com
twitter.com/thedecemberists
A Tear in the Eye Is a Wound in the Heart (out 9/18), the new album by Black Prairie (featuring our very own Nate, Jenny, and Funk), is available for pre-order NOW. Check out the exclusive pre-order packages and get a free download of “How Do You Ruin Me” here.
To celebrate the new record, Black Prairie will hit the road this fall with shows in the Midwest, the Northeast, and the Pacific NW (California dates to be announced soon). Get all the latest at BlackPrairie.com
Upcoming Black Prairie tour dates:
09/20 Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
09/21 Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
10/18 Valparaiso, IN – Front Porch Music
10/19 Chicago, IL – Schuba’s Tavern
10/20 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
10/21 Madison, WI – The Frequency
11/08 Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy
11/09 Arlington, VA – IOTA Club & Cafe
11/10 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
11/11 Allston, MA – Great Scott
Adored Mailing List Recipients,
We All Raise Our Voices to the Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11), our new twenty song live double-album and triple-vinyl set, is available NOW in all of the usual places: The Decemberists Shop, iTunes, Amazon, and indie record stores. It is also streaming digitally in its entirety at Rolling Stone (Disc 1), Paste (Disc 2), Spinner and Rdio.
The album, our first-ever live record, features songs from The King Is Dead, as well as many classic favorites. Tracks come from shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Stubb’s in Austin, Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle, the tour-closing pair of shows at McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre in Portland, and others. We All Raise Our Voices to the Air features Sara Watkins on fiddle, guitar, and vocals and several tracks include an appearance by PABST (Portland Auxiliary Brass [Saxophone Trumpet]).
We All Raise Our Voices to the Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11)
Disc 1
1. The Infanta
2. Calamity Song
3. Rise To Me
4. The Soldiering Life
5. We Both Go Down Together
6. The Bagman’s Gambit
7. Down By The Water
8. Leslie Ann Levine
9. The Rake’s Song
10. The Crane Wife 1, 2, and 3
1, 4, 9 - McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre in Troutdale, OR; 2 - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, GA; 3 – Overture Center in Madison, WI; 5 – Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN; 6 – Benedum Center in Pittsburgh, PA; 7 – Iroquois Amphitheater in Louisville, KY; 8, 10 – Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, OR
Disc 2
1. Oceanside
2. Billy Liar
3. Grace Cathedral Hill
4. All Arise!
5. Rox In The Box
6. June Hymn
7. Dracula’s Daughter > O Valencia!
8. This Is Why We Fight
9. The Mariner’s Revenge Song
10. I Was Meant For The Stage
1, 5 – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, GA; 2 – Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville, OR; 3 – University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA; 4 – Stubb’s in Austin, TX; 6 – Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI; 7, 9, 10 – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre in Troutdale, OR; 8 – Marymoor Amphitheatre in Redmond, WA
Yours,
The Decemberists
decemberists.com
twitter.com/thedecemberists
You can now stream We All Raise Our Voices to the Air, our twenty song live double-album which comes out on March 13th, in its entirety. Disc One at Rolling Stone and Disc Two at Paste Magazine. You can also stream “The Soldiering Life below. Pre-order is currently underway at http://thedecemberists.com/
Adored Mailing List Recipients,
As we mentioned last month, We All Raise Our Voices to the Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11), a twenty song live double-album and triple-vinyl set, will be available in stores and online March 13th! You can pre-order the album NOW at thedecemberists.com. We’re also selling the Carson Ellis-illustrated We All Raise Our Voices to the Air exclusive tee, which can be bundled with the CD or LP:
If you pre-order the album from thedecemberists.com, you will be entered to win the original vinyl test pressings of the album, signed and otherwise lovingly decorated by Colin, Nate, John, Jenny, and Chris. Ten runners-up will get their pre-ordered CD or vinyl set signed by the band. The contest runs through March 13th and winners will be picked and notified by email on March 16th.
The album, which is our first-ever live record, features many songs from The King Is Dead, as well as many classic favorites. Tracks come from shows at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Stubb’s in Austin, Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle, the tour-closing pair of shows at McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre in Portland, and others. The album features Sara Watkins on fiddle, guitar, and vocals and several tracks include an appearance by PABST [Portland Auxiliary Brass (Saxophone Trumpet)].
Yours,
The Decemberists
decemberists.com
twitter.com/thedecemberists
We’re incredibly heartened by Komen’s decision to return funding to Planned Parenthood; the fact that a myriad of voices, raised together in opposition, can have such an effect is truly inspiring. We think that Komen’s initial decision to cut off PP was unconscionable; to retract that decision is only common sense. Going forward, however, we are determined to stand with Planned Parenthood by continuing to donate the proceeds from the Team Jenny shirts and buttons to their newly founded Breast Cancer Emergency Fund.
Here’s a note from Jenny Conlee:
Hi everyone. I would like to add my own thoughts about the Susan G. Komen/Planned Parenthood debacle. I deeply respect both of these organizations for the work they do in women’s health. I am disappointed in Susan G. Komen for politicizing a very non-political issue, but I also am thankful that they listened to their donors and affiliates and decided to revise their decision and focus on what really matters, which is funding early detection. While I support that we will donate ongoing proceeds from our Team Jenny goods to Planned Parenthood’s Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, I want to clarify that I personally will also be supporting the Oregon and SW Washington Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Komen Oregon spoke out early against banning grants to Planned Parenthood, and put pressure on the national affiliate to reverse their decision. They also have a very effective program for providing mammograms to low income and uninsured women, and have a commitment to supplying grants for important research. Two studies funded by Komen created treatments that are part of my current cancer care and will increase my odds of never experiencing a recurrence of breast cancer. This issue is complicated, and I encourage you to show your support to whichever organization feels best to you. We need to focus on the one enemy we have in common and that is breast cancer. Thanks for supporting Team Jenny!
- Jenny
The Decemberists are deeply troubled by Komen for the Cure’s recent decision to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood, a vital resource in the battle against breast cancer. Providing cancer screenings to low income women is integral to the prevention and defeat of breast cancer and it is unconscionable that Komen should politicize this very important issue by bowing to the fear campaign being waged against PP by the right. We’ve decided to redirect the proceeds of the Team Jenny t-shirts and buttons away from Komen for the Cure. 100% of the net profits of these items will be instead donated to Planned Parenthood’s Breast Health Emergency Fund
Please help to support this essential institution. And, if you’ve supported the Team Jenny effort in the past, please write to Komen for the Cure via their site (here) or via twitter (@komenforthecure) and let them know that undermining women’s health for political reasons is unacceptable.
Coming March 13, We All Raise Our Voices To The Air (Live Songs 04.11-08.11), a twenty song live double-album and triple-vinyl set! Performances are pulled from twelve shows on the 2011 Popes of Pendarvia World Tour including the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Stubb’s BBQ in Austin, Marymoor Amphitheatre in Seattle, and our final two shows at McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre in Portland. Pre-order coming soon.
Disc 1
1. The Infanta
2. Calamity Song
3. Rise To Me
4. The Soldiering Life
5. We Both Go Down Together
6. The Bagman’s Gambit
7. Down By The Water
8. Leslie Ann Levine
9. The Rake’s Song
10. The Crane Wife 1, 2, and 3
Disc 2
1. Oceanside
2. Billy Liar
3. Grace Cathedral Hill
4. All Arise!
5. Rox In The Box
6. June Hymn
7. Dracula’s Daughter > O Valencia!
8. This Is Why We Fight
9. The Mariner’s Revenge Song
10. I Was Meant For The Stage
