Acclaimed folk-rock act Blitzen Trapper has announced plans for a summer tour as work on their next album continues. The month-long trek kicks off July 9 at Harlow’s Night Club in Sacramento, CA, and wraps up with a performance at the August 1-2 festival Pickathon in Happy Valley, OR.
Along the way, the band will stop for a July 13 concert at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, CA, as well as a July 19 performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL, and a July 30 gig at Richard’s On Richards Cabaret in Vancouver, BC, among other dates.
Blitzen Trapper is also scheduled to hit the stage later in the season for a September 28 concert at El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, and an October 2 set at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX. Both those performances follow a handful of late summer shows in Europe with Andrew Bird and in the UK with Fleet Foxes.
The folk-rock sextet is still touring behind their September 2008 breakthrough album, “Furr,” which slipped on to the lower registers of the Billboard 200 at No. 189 and peaked at No. 6 on the Top Heatseekers chart. The album received critical acclaim, notably placing at No. 13 on Rolling Stone‘s “Best Albums of 2008” list, while the title single featured at No. 4 on the magazine’s “100 Best Singles of 2008.”
While the tour’s nightly set list will draw heavily on last year’s material, fans can also expect to hear some new tracks during the summer tour. The band is currently working on their fifth album, which is still untitled and doesn’t have a projected release date at this time.
“Eric [Earley, Blitzen Trapper’s principal songwriter] has been busy recording the follow-up to Furr. He’s doing it with our friend Mike Coykendall, who is M. Ward’s go-to guy and who lives in the neighborhood,” explained Marty Marquis, who plays guitar and keyboards and shares vocal duties, on the band’s official Web site.
“The songs are going to blow your minds, and because they’re recorded to fat tape there is much more sonic information to enjoy,” Marquis continued, adding later, “Pretty sure we’ll play some of it on the road later this year.”
Blitzen Trapper self-released its self-titled debut in 2003 and two additional albums — 2004’s “Field Rexx” and 2007’s “Wild Mountain Nation” — before signing to Sub Pop for “Furr.”
Blitzen Trapper itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)
| July 9 | Sacramento, CA | Harlow’s Night Club |
| July 10 | Visalia, CA | Cellar Door |
| July 11 | Santa Barbara, CA | Velvet Jones |
| July 12 | Los Angeles, CA | KCRW’S World Festival @ Hollywood Bowl |
| July 13 | Solana Beach, CA | Belly Up Tavern |
| July 15 | Aspen, CO | Belly Up Aspen |
| July 18 | Iowa City, IA | The Picador |
| July 19 | Chicago, IL | Pitchfork Music Festival @ Union Park |
| July 20 | Milwaukee, WI | Pabst Theater |
| July 21 | Fargo, ND | The Aquarium |
| July 24 | Boise, ID | Neurolux |
| July 25 | Kennewick, WA | Red Room |
| July 30 | Vancouver, BC | Richard’s On Richards Cabaret |
| August 1 – 2 | Happy Valley, OR | Pickathon @ Pendarvis Farm |
| September 28 | Los Angeles, CA | El Rey Theatre |
| October 2 | Austin, TX | Austin City Limits Music Festival @ Zilker Park |
