The Decemberists, known for their complex and ornately old-fashioned style, have announced plans for a 10-date November tour. The East and West Coast trek begins November 5 with a performance at Terminal 5 in New York City, and concludes November 30 at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, WA.
Pre-sales for the tour started on September 2, with general on-sales scheduled for September 6 for East Coast dates and September 13 for West Coast dates.
The indie rock quintent is touring in support of the upcoming singles series, “Always the Bridesmaid,” which is offered as a three-part digital and vinyl release. The first segment, containing “Valerie Plame” and “O New England,” comes out October 14. On November 4, the second set is due, with “I’m Sticking with You” and two versions of “Days of Elaine.” The final singles set — “Record Year for Rainfall” and “Raincoat Song” — is slated for a December 2 release.
According to a statement from the band, the songs included in the series have been decidedly excluded from the next full-length record. “And this mysterious LP which proved an inhospitable home to these little pop gems? The band is currently hard at work in the studio trying to tame its mangy throw,” the statement explained in the Decemberists’ usual lyrical manner. “It’s a tough bit of leather…a little mossy, a little evil. More on that later.”
The three-part singles series is a follow-up to the group’s fourth studio album and major label debut, “The Crane Wife.” Previously, the band had released three records on independent labels Hush and Kill Rock Stars. But the move to Capitol Records for the 2006 debut had some fans worried that the band would lose it’s signature sound — a mix that is equal parts pop, folk, progressive rock and sea chantey.
“We didn’t want the fact that we had signed onto a major label change our approach or aesthetic,” Meloy explained on the band’s Web site. “In some ways, I think it pushed us farther to the left, farther out of the comfortable Decemberists zone.”
The upcoming tour will be the first extended tour for The Decemberists in more than a year. On May 18, they held a single benefit concert for Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama in their hometown of Portland, OR.
The Decemberists itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)
| November 5 | New York, NY | Terminal 5 |
| November 6 | Boston, MA | The Orpheum |
| November 7 | Philadelphia, PA | Electric Factory |
| November 8 | Baltimore, MD | Ram’s Head Live |
| November 9 | Ithaca, NY | Cornell University, Barton Hall |
| November 11 | Montclair, NJ | Wellmont Theatre |
| November 24 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern |
| November 25 | San Francisco, CA | Warfield Theatre |
| November 29 | Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| November 30 | Seattle, WA | The Moore Theatre |
Photograph by Wendy Lynch.
