Portland

Read More The Decemberists What's also pretty cool about the episode is that the Decemberists briefly appeared as themselves! It's exciting because the Decemberists took a "multi-year hiatus" after their The King is Dead …

THE DECEMBERISTS
decemberists.com

Sure, their music is associated with hipsters and it's fair to assume singer Colin Meloy writes lyrics like he's from 1920, but The Decemberists are an unbelievably good band.

They recently announced their seventh studio album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World to be released on January 20, 2015 on Capitol Records. UK fans will be able to get the album the day before via Rough Trade Records. This is an important album because we personally thought they broke up, especially by that dreaded "hiatus" status that hung over the band after their exhausting tour for 2011 album The King Is Dead...

With the new 2015 album and UK tour announced, expect Meloy to sing to a full electric backing band, and not acoustic 'campfire' versions of their songs (which was what we got when we saw Meloy solo last year).

The Decemberists – European Tour Dates

February 11 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street
February 13 Glasgow, UK O2 Academy Glasgow
February 14 Leeds, UK O2 Academy Leeds
February 16 Bristol, UK O2 Academy Bristol
February 17 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
February 18 Birmingham, UK The Institute
February 20 Brighton, UK Brighton Dome Concert
February 21 London, UK O2 Academy Brixton
February 23 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
February 24 Brussels, Belgium AB
February 25 Nijmegen, Netherlands Doornroosje
February 26 Berlin, Germany Astra Kulturhaus
February 28 Zürich, Switzerland Kaufleuten
March 1 Milan, Italy Magazzini Generali

Read More Mecca Normal Mecca Normal opened with “Art Was Great Leveler”, a love song about relationships and class. They’re one of my all time favorite bands because … Mirah Mirah was sick at her show at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on Friday, May 16.... but as they say in 'showbiz', the show must go on. …

MECCA NORMAL
meccanormal.wordpress.com

Vancouver-based Mecca Normal duo (Jean Smith and David Lester) just wrapped up their Eastern US dates in support of their latest album Empathy for the Evil (produced by Kramer), which came out last month on M'lady's Records (from Portland, Oregon).

During the tour they were interviewed and performed on Democracy Now in New York.

Excerpt from the article:

Earlier this year, the 2014 Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Art featured an exhibit dedicated to Ritscher’s life. The pioneering Vancouver-based musical act Mecca Normal took part in the exhibit. In 1998, Mecca Normal recorded and released a song titled "Malachi." The cover of that record was included in the Whitney exhibit. Also included was a poster about Malachi designed by David Lester.

The Malachi exhibit is now headed to Chicago, where it will open later this month at the Audible Gallery at Experimental Sound Studio.

Jean Smith and David Lester of Mecca Normal recently joined us to talk about their work and to perform two songs, "Malachi" and "Anguish/Misogyny."

Mecca Normal have one last date at the Media Club in Vancouver with Mirah. Mirah actually lived in Portland for a number of years, and you may recall after seeing Mirah in 2010, was one of the best shows I've seen ... but unfortunately she got sick during her 2014 show.

Read More Tender Loving Empire Tender Loving Empire Records just signed their first non-Portland band: The Family Crest. The Family Crest is based out of San Francisco …

MUSEE MECANIQUE
museemecanique.net

Portland-based Musée Mécanique recently released From Shores of Sleep (an album "twenty years in the making"*) via Tender Loving Empire, and they're currently on tour in support of the new record.

Tour Dates:

11/05 New York, NY @ Cake Shop
11/07 Biddeford, ME @ Hogfarm Studios
11/08 Burlington, VT @ Skinny Pancake
11/11 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
11/13 Fort Worth, TX @ Live Oak
11/15 Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico
11/16 Silver City, NM @ house show
11/17 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
11/18 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
11/19 Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg
11/20 Carmel, CA @ Barmel
11/22 San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah

* Songwriters Micah Rabwin and Sean Ogilvie met in their 9th grade English class and have been making music together ever since.

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