Whistling violinist Andrew Bird is apparently a big fan of New Mexico alt-county outfit the Handsome Family, since he's previously covered the band's songs and his official bio is an interview conducted by group member Rennie Sparks. Now, Bird is committing his love to the Handsome Family to tape by recording an entire album of covers.
The album is wryly titled Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of… It will be released digitally on June 3, with CDs shipping out that same week. Vinyl will follow later this summer. CDs are currently available to order from Bird's website.
The full details of the collection are still up in the air, but that's the cover artwork above. Brooklyn Vegan reports that it includes a cover of the Handsome Family's True Detective theme "Far From Any Road."
Bird will be touring North America this summer. See the schedule below; in addition to lots of U.S. gigs, he will be playing Canadian festival dates in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
A note on Bird's website explains, "Andrew will be touring with a band he's calling the Hands of Glory — an old timey acoustic configuration featuring Tift Merritt, Alan Hampton, Bowl of Fire alumnus Kevin O'Donnell, and Eric Heywood on pedal steel."
Tour dates:
06/06 Brooklyn, NY - Studio 360 WNYC Radio Love Fest at BAM Harvey Theater
06/07 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
06/08 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
06/09 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
06/10 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06/12 Asheville, TN - Orange Peel
06/13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06/15 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
06/16 Austin, TX - The Paramount Theater
06/20 Boulder, CO - Chautauqua
06/21 Telluride, CO - Telluride
07/02 Ann Arbor, MI - Power Center
07/04 Toronto, ON - Toronto Urban Roots Fest
07/05 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Blues Fest
07/06 Montreal, QC - Jazz Fest
07/08 New York, NY - Summerstage
07/10 Hanover, NH - Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center
07/11 Bridgeport, CT - The Klein
07/12 Lowell, MA - Lowell Summer Music Series
07/18 Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Folk Fest
07/24 Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Fest
07/26 Edmonton, AB - Interstellar Rodeo
08/01 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library
08/02 Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
08/03 San Francisco, CA - Sigmund Stern Grove
09/19 San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
09/21 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
The album is wryly titled Things Are Really Great Here, Sort Of… It will be released digitally on June 3, with CDs shipping out that same week. Vinyl will follow later this summer. CDs are currently available to order from Bird's website.
The full details of the collection are still up in the air, but that's the cover artwork above. Brooklyn Vegan reports that it includes a cover of the Handsome Family's True Detective theme "Far From Any Road."
Bird will be touring North America this summer. See the schedule below; in addition to lots of U.S. gigs, he will be playing Canadian festival dates in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.
A note on Bird's website explains, "Andrew will be touring with a band he's calling the Hands of Glory — an old timey acoustic configuration featuring Tift Merritt, Alan Hampton, Bowl of Fire alumnus Kevin O'Donnell, and Eric Heywood on pedal steel."
Tour dates:
06/06 Brooklyn, NY - Studio 360 WNYC Radio Love Fest at BAM Harvey Theater
06/07 Brooklyn, NY - Rough Trade
06/08 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
06/09 Washington, DC - Lincoln Theatre
06/10 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06/12 Asheville, TN - Orange Peel
06/13 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
06/15 Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
06/16 Austin, TX - The Paramount Theater
06/20 Boulder, CO - Chautauqua
06/21 Telluride, CO - Telluride
07/02 Ann Arbor, MI - Power Center
07/04 Toronto, ON - Toronto Urban Roots Fest
07/05 Ottawa, ON - Ottawa Blues Fest
07/06 Montreal, QC - Jazz Fest
07/08 New York, NY - Summerstage
07/10 Hanover, NH - Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center
07/11 Bridgeport, CT - The Klein
07/12 Lowell, MA - Lowell Summer Music Series
07/18 Vancouver, BC - Vancouver Folk Fest
07/24 Calgary, AB - Calgary Folk Fest
07/26 Edmonton, AB - Interstellar Rodeo
08/01 Big Sur, CA - Henry Miller Library
08/02 Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery
08/03 San Francisco, CA - Sigmund Stern Grove
09/19 San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
09/21 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
