The Decemberists announce add spring tour dates, coming to Raleigh

photo by Autumn de Wilde

Indie folk superstars The Decmeberists just released their seventh studio album a few weeks ago titled What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World and now they have added new spring tour dates in support of it that will bring them back to the Triangle.

The band will return to the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh on Wednesday, June 3. Shovels & Rope will open the show. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 6, via the Duke Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $26 to $36.

Check out The Decemberists performing the song "Make You Better" from the new album on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic a few weeks ago below.

Colin Meloy announces new solo EP, fall tour

The Decemberists' frontman Colin Meloy is taking a break from his successful children's book series The Wildwood Chronicles to release new EP of cover songs and head out on his first solo tour in five years this fall.

Meloy will play the Carolina Theatre in Durham on Wednesday, November 6. Eleanor Friedberger will open. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, August 2, via the venue box office and Ticketmaster for $26 to $36.

Check out a video of Meloy performing The Decemberists' tune "Down By the Water" during a solo concert for KEXP a few years ago below.

Decemberists' Jenny Conlee diagnosed with breast cancer, missing upcoming shows

Some sad news emerged from The Decemberists camp yesterday. They announced that original member Jenny Conlee, known for playing accordion and other keys, was diagnosed with breast cancer not too long ago.

She continued touring through the Atlanta show on May 2, but is returning home now that the tour is over to undergo surgery and begin her recovery process. The outlook is good since she caught it early, but she will likely miss all of the band's May and June dates, including the Raleigh show on June 11.

We're hoping for a speedy and full recovery for Conlee and hope she'll be back on tour soon.

The Decemberists announces June dates, returning to Raleigh

Indie folk band The Decembersits are riding high in 2011 since releasing their latest album The King is Dead, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 when it was released in January. The band have now announced new summer dates that will bring them back to the Triangle.

Last time the band was in the Triangle was in June 2009 at Memorial Auditorium in Raleigh (check out photos and a review HERE).

This time, the band steps things up, playing the Raleigh Amphitheater in downtown on Saturday, June 11. Excellent indie trio Best Coast will open the show. Pre-sale tickets are available now via The Decemberists' website. The general sale will begin at 10 a.m. March 18. Reserved seats will be $35 and lawn seats will be $25.

The Decemberists play complete album, jam with kids in Raleigh

The Decemberists came, they saw and they conquered Thursday night at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium.

The band split their show into two sets playing their entire new album The Hazards of Love first. Each song flowed seamlessly into the next, even with frequent instrument changes. Singers Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) joined the band for the tour and delivered great performances, both musical and theatrical of the characters the represent in the album's story. Stark as Margaret was a quieter, angelic singer while Worden as the Queen belted out her vocals and thrashed about on the stage. It was a sight to see.

Album review: The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

The Hazards of Love, the latest album from The Decemberists has been dubbed a concept album by some, but really functions as one continuous piece of music as opposed to it's 17 tracks. The album flows from one song to the next with many transitions being indistinguishable unless you're specifically looking for them.

The album features four pieces of music dubbed the "The Hazards of Love" parts one through four which share similar musical themes. All of the songs share a common theme of love and the hazards of it (imagine that). Parts of piece "The Wanting Comes In Waves" is reminiscent of the grandeur of Arcade Fire.

Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond and Shara Warden of My Brightest Diamond gives the album a feminine point of view on a number of tracks on the album. Their vocals give are a stark contrast to Colin Meloy's nasally sound. The male and female back and forth is similar to the back and forth between Win Butler and Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire.

The Hazards of Love is a solid album and is much stronger overall than their last album The Crane Wife. This is a band upping their game from record to record. The album should play well live too.

Speaking of live, the band will be playing the album live from beginning to end on their upcoming tour which stops in Raleigh on June 4 at Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are still available here. Check out the rest of the band's tour dates here.

The Decemberists to play Raleigh in June

The Decemberists are gearing up to release their new album The Hazards of Love on March 24 and are starting to line up dates to support it. One of the first dates to surface is right here in the Triangle. The band will play Memorial Auditorium in downtown Raleigh on June 4. Tickets will cost $26 to $29 and will go on sale to the public on Valentine's day, February 14 here but will be available via the band's fanclub pre-sale today, February 9. The pre-sale tickets are available here.

The Raleigh show will precede the band's performance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, TN a week later. It's likely more dates will accompany the these two shows and we'll add those when they are released.

[UPDATE: Added more US dates.]
[UPDATE 2: Adding second leg of tour.]

The Decemberists US dates:
03.18.09 - Austin, TX - Stubbs BBQ (SXSW)
05.19.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
05.20.09 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre [Tickets]
05.21.09 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre
05.24.09 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre
05.26.09 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
05.27.09 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre [Tickets]
05.29.09 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
05.31.09 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant [Tickets]
06.01.09 - Columbus, OH - Lifestyle Communities Pavilion [Tickets]
06.03.09 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
06.04.09 - Raleigh, NC - Memorial Auditorium [Tickets]
06.05.09 - Richmond, VA - National [Tickets]
06.06.09 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
06.08.09 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion [Tickets]
06.09.09 - Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavillion
06.10.09 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall [Tickets]
06.20.09 - Minneapolis, MN - Walker Art Center
07.17.09 - Seattle, WA - Marymoor Park [Tickets]
07.18.09 - Portland, OR - Edgefield Winery [Tickets]
07.19.09 - Portland, OR - Edgefield Winery [Tickets]
07.21.09 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
07.22.09 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
08.02.09 - Montreal, QC - Parc Jean Drapeau
08.03.09 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
08.05.09 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre [Tickets]
08.08.09 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
08.10.09 - Louisville, KY - W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre
08.11.09 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Theatre

Related posts:
TV on the Radio leak Bonnaroo line-up
New music from The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song"

New music from The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song"

The Decemberists are gearing up to release The Hazards of Love, their first full-length album since 2006's The Crane Wife. The band are giving away the tenth track from the album titled "The Rake's Song" now via their website. You just fill in a working email, country and zip code and they'll email you the download.

"The Rake's Song" is a gritty tune with a fuzzy, driving bass line and drums. It's a catchy little pop song in the tradition of The Decemberists but with some interesting new sonic elements. Just check out the song.

The Hazards of Love will released on March 24 via Capitol Records. The album will feature a whopping 17 tracks that's intended to be listened to from beginning to end.

The Decemberists will hit the road this spring to support the album.

The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song" (mp3)

Decemberists cancel U.S. tour

Sad news for fans of the Decemberists. After just two shows the group has cancelled the remainder of their U.S. tour, including two dates at Winston-Salem's Millennium Center Nov. 6 and 7.

Here's the band's official statement.

With much regret the Decemberists have cancelled the remainder of 'The Long and Short of It' tour.

"One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates. After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the illness is much worse than we had initially realized. We need to return home so our friend can mend.

"It saddens us to disappoint our fans. We hope everybody understands it is only because of an extreme situation that we had to cancel a tour we've all been excited about doing since the idea was originally hatched.

"Our deepest apologies but at this time no plans are being made to reschedule the dates. Ticket holders should seek refunds at point of purchase."