By Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
In a year with a presidential election, there’s probably no more appropriately named group than The Presidents of the United States of America. The Seattle-based trio will release “These Are the Good Times People,” their first album in four years and fourth overall, on March 11 via Fugitive Recordings, and will launch a world tour on March 14 in Portland, OR, taking in clubs and theatres.
In April, the Presidents will head overseas for shows in The Netherlands, U.K., Belgium and Ireland. More shows for mid-2008 and beyond are still to be announced.
From the opening blast of the first single “Mixed Up SOB, to the Shins-like lilt of “Loose Balloon,” the group has recorded 14 new songs, utilizing the collective strengths of founding vocalist, basitar player and principal songwriter Chris Ballew, original drummer Jason Finn and guitbass player Andrew McKeag. McKeag officially joins the band with this album.
The Presidents of the United States of America itinerary:
3/14 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
3/15 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
3/17 (Sacramento) Orangevale, CA The Boardwalk
3/18 San Francisco, CA Great American
3/19 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
3/21 Los Angeles, CA Roxy
3/22 San Diego, CA Belly Up
3/24 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
3/25 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
3/26 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero
3/27 Boston, MA Paradise
4/10 Eindhoven, The Netherlands Effenaar
4/11 Groningen, The Netherlands Oosterpoort KZ
4/12 Utrecht, The Netherlands Tivoli
4/14 Brussels, Belgium Botanique
4/15 London, UK Astoria
4/16 Brighton, UK Concorde 2
4/18 Bristol, UK Carling Academy
4/19 Birmingham, UK Carling Academy
4/20 Manchester, UK Academy
4/22 Newcastle, UK Carling Academy
4/23 Glasgow, UK Carling Academy
(The image accompanying this story is from ArtistDirect.com)
