The Decemberists

"I'm a poor, drunken orphan with nowhere to go but the grave," wailed a waifish and non-plussed Mr. Chris Funk as he lay supine by the railroad tracks. The crate of records he had been cradling in his nubile appendages now lay in pieces on the ashen ground, his complete collected recordings of sixties psychedelic luminary Rick "Paisley Dave" Rigmore scattered hit her and yon like so many dead leaves beneath a diseased elm. Noting his neglect to accredit this phrase to its rightful owner, chief engineer Jenny Conlee, her accordion neatly strapped to her back, stepped lightly from the caboose and corrected his negligence with the aplomb only an immigrant Hungarian could muster: "Dylan Thomas, sir! Please move along!" But it was too late: an indelible bond had been soldered in that moment of recognition. A few hours later, in a Turkish bath, they revealed their stories to one another between sips of a strange, tangerine liqueur. Not far from that spot, however, two young military dignitaries (John Moen, Nate Query), appropriately lathered, overheard our two heroes' stories. Was it chance, then, that lead the four unsuspecting bathers to seek to return their soiled undergarments at the same kiosk where worked the poor, bespectacled Colin Meloy? One can surmise all one wants, but the truth should be known that, after adopting the moniker The Decemberists, these five wan vagabonds began playing their peculiarly styled pop music in various concert-halls and brothels all across the globe.

Decemberists to play Obama rally in Portland SUNDAY

Points of Order:
* The Decemberists to play set at Barack Obama Rally SUNDAY
For those in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon this weekend, The Decemberists will play an hour-long set at a Rally with Barack Obama THIS SUNDAY, May 18th. The rally will take place at The Bowl in Waterfront Park, Corner of SW Columbia St. and Naito Pkwy, just south of the Hawthorne Bridge.
Doors open at 12:30 pm and The Decemberists will play shortly thereafter. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but an RSVP is strongly encouraged. Admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information and to RSVP, check out the event page on the Obama website
Yours,
The Decemberists

The Decemberists News | 5.14.2008

Points of Order:
* Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke now available at the Decemberists Shop
* John Moen releases debut solo album Perhapst also now available at the Decemberists Shop
Thanks to all of you who came out to a show on Colin's recent U.S. outing. We have some limited quantities of the tour EP Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke that we have put up for sale at the Decemberists Shop . The five-song collection features Laura Gibson singing on harmonies throughout, and the track listing goes like this:
1. Cupid
2. Summertime
3. That's Where It's At
4. Good Times
5. Bring It On Home To Me
In addition, the store is now stocked with vinyl of Colin Meloy Sings Live! Apologies for the delay in getting them shipped out to the patient lot of you that had ordered. There was some kind of production hold-up involving a plant manager who had taken ill at the fine vinyl plant in Prague that we use. Suffice it to say that the plant manager is feeling a lot better, and the double-gatefold LP that finally arrived on our shores looks and sounds pretty sweet.
In other band news, we're pleased to announce the solo debut of Decemberists drummer John Moen. Asked to describe the album, John says he wishes he was a guitar player - "think a much less agile Dave Grohl" - so this is an opportunity where he gets to play guitar and sing. Says John, "You can go ahead and make all the Phil Collins jokes you want, but you must listen to the album at least once before you crack wise." The 'band' and album are titled Perhapst, and the album includes eleven tracks of folk-pop-psych goodness. Now available at the Decemberists Shop . You can hear a couple tracks on the freshly minted Myspace page .
And with that, we hope springtime is in full bloom wherever you are.
Yours,
The Decemberists

Colin Meloy LP Now Available For Preorder

COLIN MELOY SINGS LIVE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER
Colin's first solo CD "Colin Meloy Sings Live" is now available for preorder on the new and improved Decemberists Shop .
This is no run of the mill preorder. Beyond the simple pleasure of the CD/LP arriving via the esteemed U.S. Postal Service on or around the album's April 8 release date, there are a myriad of tantalizing perquisites that await the preorderee:
* The first 300 CDs and the first 100 LPs ordered will be autographed by Colin
* Everyone who preorders are automatically entered into a drawing for a Grand Prize: a skull, ship and sheep as seen on Colin's 2006 tour ("I thought it would be nice to have company onstage" - Colin) , as well as 2 tickets to any one of the shows on Colin's upcoming tour.
* Order a Colin Meloy t-shirt at a reduced price along with the CD or LP (this shirt will not be available on Colin's tour).
For international orders, please bear in mind that arrival of your package might take a little longer than U.S. orders because of shipping variability overseas.
Included on Sings Live! are songs from Meloy's first band, Tarkio, as well as cuts from every Decemberists full-length pre-The Crane Wife. There is also a tune from the 2006 EP Picaresqueties, two previously unreleased originals ("Dracula's Daughter" and "Wonder"), bits of covers of songs by the Smiths, R.E.M., Pink Floyd, and Fleetwood Mac, and a traditional folk song in debt to Shirley Collins' arrangement.
Tracklist:
01 Devil's Elbow
02 We Both Go Down Together
03 Evoking a Campfire Singalong [banter]
04 The Gymnast, High Above the Ground
05 Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect / Dreams
06 Dracula's Daughter [previously unreleased]
07 Wonder [previously unreleased]
08 A Brief Introduction to Shirley Collins [banter]
09 Barbara Allen
10 The Engine Driver
11 On the Bus Mall
12 A Skull, a Ship, and a Sheep [banter]
13 California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade / Ask
14 The Bachelor and the Bride
15 A Cautionary Song
16 Red Right Ankle
17 Bandit Queen
Note that the vinyl version (on Jealous Butcher Records, not Kill Rock Stars, as had been erroneously reported in the last email) contains a bonus track - a cover of Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game".
CMSL TO BE RELEASED BY ROUGH TRADE IN THE UK ON APRIL 7
Our good friends at Rough Trade will be releasing CMSL in the United Kingdom on April 7. They should be announcing a preorder any day now, so stay tuned.
COLIN MELOY TOURDATES ON SALE NOW
We have added two shows to the tour last week - April 18 at the The Tralf in Buffalo and April 19 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. Those two shows go onsale this weekend - check venue websites for exact details. The rest of the tour is on sale now!
COLIN MELOY - SPRING 2008 SOLO TOUR
4/7 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
4/8 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
4/10 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
4/11 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
4/12 - Charlottesville, VA - The Satellite Ballroom
4/13 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
4/15 - Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
4/17 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
4/18 - Buffalo, NY - The Tralf
4/19 - Toronto, ONT - Phoenix Concert Theatre
4/21 - Chicago, IL - Park West
4/22 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater
4/23 - Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater
4/25 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
4/26 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
4/28 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
4/29 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Rio Theatre
4/30 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
5/2 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
5/3 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

Colin Meloy Spring Tour Begins April 7th!

Colin will embark on an extended U.S. tour beginning this April 7th at La Zona Rosa. The 20-odd run (there is a chance we may announce or two more dates) coincides with the release of Colin's debut solo album, Colin Meloy Sings Live!, out April on CD, double gatefold vinyl, and digital outlets everywhere on Jealous Butcher Records. Singer-songwriter Laura Gibson will be the supporting act for the full tour.
Pre-sale tickets will be available beginning this Friday, February 1st at NOON EST. Tickets will go onsale to the general public beginning the following Friday, February 8. Check venue websites for exact ticket onsale information.
Following in the tradition of previous EPs Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins and Colin Meloy Sings Morrisey, Colin will be selling an EP only available on this run: Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke, a collection of five Cooke songs, intimately arranged and performed by Coliln, with Laura Gibson singing harmonies throughout.
COLIN MELOY - SPRING 2008 SOLO TOUR
4/7 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa
4/8 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
4/10 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
4/11 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
4/12 - Charlottesville, VA - The Satellite Ballroom
4/13 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
4/15 - Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre
4/16 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
4/17 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg
4/21 - Chicago, IL - Park West
4/22 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater
4/23 - Madison, WI - Barrymore Theater
4/25 - Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
4/26 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
4/28 - Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre
4/29 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Rio Theatre
4/30 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
5/2 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
5/3 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

COLIN MELOY LIVE SET AVAILABLE THIS APRIL!

On April 8, Kill Rock Stars will release Colin Meloy Sings Live! - a 14-song set documenting Colin's 2006 solo U.S. tour. As those of you know who saw the shows, Colin stripped down to an acoustic guitar and was accompanied by a skull named Cheryl, a ship named Maya Angelou and a small stuffed sheep named Erick (the c is silent). The album will be released in the U.S. and Canada on CD and double gatefold vinyl. We expect to announce a European release date shortly.
COLIN MELOY SINGS LIVE! - TRACK LISTING
1. Devil's Elbow
2. We Both Go Down Together
3. Evoking a Campfire Singalong*
4. The Gymnast, High Above the Ground
5. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect Dreams
6. Dracula's Daughter (previously unreleased)
7. Wonder (previously unreleased)
8. A Brief Introduction to Shirley Collins*
9. Barbara Allen
10. The Engine Driver
11. On the Bus Mall
12. A Skull, a Ship, and a Sheep*
13. California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade Ask
14. The Bachelor and the Bride
15. A Cautionary Song
16. Red Right Ankle
17. Bandit Queen
* indicates talk between songs
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