Stephen Malkmus will release his new album, Traditional Techniques, on March 6th via Matador. Today, he extends his North American tour and announces shows throughout the southwest and west coast. In addition to a previously-announced run including Chicago’s Thalia Hall, New York’s Webster Hall, and more, Malkmus will appear at Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre, San Francisco’s The Fillmore, plus others. He will be joined by a brand new live band of Chris Funk (pedal steel, keys), Matt Sweeney (guitar), Brad Truax (bass), and Jake Morris (drums), and at times by Qais Essar (rabab) and Eric Zang (kaval, udu, daf). Tickets for newly-announced dates go on sale this Friday, February 21st at 10am local time.
Additionally, Malkmus offers a further glimpse into Traditional Techniques via the La Blogothèque performance of new song, “Brainwashed.” Directed by Thibaut Charlut with sound direction by Henri d’Armancourt, the solo, acoustic performance was filmed in the midst of Parisian café La Fontaine de Belleville.
Traditional Techniques, Malkmus’ third solo LP without the Jicks (or Pavement), is new phase folk music for new phase folks, with Malkmus as attuned as ever to the rhythms of the ever-evolving lingual slipstream. An adventurous new album in an instantly familiar mode, Traditional Techniques creates a serendipitous trilogy with the loose fuzz of the Jicks’ Sparkle Hard (2018) and the solo bedroom experiments of Groove Denied (2019). These three very different full-lengths in three years highlight an ever-curious songwriter committed to finding untouched territory.
Traditional Techniques is centered around Malkmus’s 12-string acoustic guitar, and the product of Malkmus and Chris Funk (The Decemberists) with Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Superwolf) playing guitar throughout. Informed by a half-century of folk-rock reference points, Malkmus drew from a whole new musical palette–including a variety of Afghani instruments–to support an ache both quizzical and contemporary. Alongside gorgeous folk music, Traditional Techniques presents occasional bursts of flute-laced swagger, straight-up commune rock, and mind-bending fuzz.
Stephen Malkmus Tour Dates (new dates in bold):
Tue. March 31 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave
Wed. April 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
Thu. April 2 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. April 3 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners
Sat. April 4 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
Sun. April 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
Tue. April 7 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
Wed. April 8 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
Thu. April 9 – Richmond, VA @ The National
Fri. April 10 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Sat. April 11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Mon. April 13 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
Wed. April 15 – Boston, MA @ Royale
Thu. April 16 – Montreal, QC @ L’Astral
Fri. April 17 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Sat. April 18 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Sun. April 19 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall
Fri. June 26 – Vancouver, BC @ Imperial
Sat. June 27 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
Sun. June 28 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
Tue. June 30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
Wed. July 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
Thu. July 2 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
Fri. July 3 – Santa Fe, NM @ TBD
Tue. July 7 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
Wed. July 8 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theatre
Thu. July 9 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theater
Sat. July 11 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theatre