Pitchfork

Photo by David Horvitz

Just in case the haiku offerings, the sing-over-our-song thing, the multiple photo projects, and the plea for Pandapples didn't clue you in, Xiu Xiu are all about obliterating that line that divides fan and band. Now they'll take on both that line and the one between performer and actual person with a new interactive undertaking they're calling "Question of the Tour".

Derived from Jamie Stewart's increasingly popular "Question of the Week" feature on the Xiu Xiu website, "Question of the Tour" works a little something like this:

1. You bring a self-addressed, stamped envelope to a gig of your choosing on Xiu Xiu's big upcoming tour.
2. You include, within that envelope, a burning question for Jamie Stewart. Cats, drinking, Xiu Xiu, death, and Jamie's personal life are all given as examples, but the buzz phrase here is "anything goes."
3. Jamie Stewart will personally respond to your query and mail you that response while on tour.

So, it's kind of like truth or dare, except it's only truth, and only Jamie Stewart has to admit to anything. Sounds like a win-win for you Xiu fanatics out there!

The Xiu Xiu tour, as previously reported, kicks off August 14 in Los Angeles and finds our intrepid art-rockers occupying stages warmed by a damn fine bunch of folks: Carla Bozulich's Evangelista, ex-Deerhoofer Rob Fisk's Common Eider, King Eider, noise poster boy Prurient, and neo-classical coupling Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone.

Xiu Xiu will also embark on a recently-minted tour of Europe (yes, another one) in October. Fans should note that relatively new Xiu Xiu lineup addition Devin Hoff will be sitting these tours out.

Finally, don't forget to bring a second self-addressed, stamped envelope and disposable camera to the U.S. show(s) you attend, lest you don't receive a whole bunch of photos snapped by David Horvitz. And truly, no creepy-ass Xiu Xiu shrine in your cellar will be complete without those.

XX:

08-14 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex *
08-15 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
08-16 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture *
08-18 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad *
08-19 Lubbock, TX - Tequila Jungle *
08-20 Austin, TX - Mohawk *^
08-21 Houston, TX - Orange Show Center for Visionary Art *^
08-22 Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree *^
08-23 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *^
08-24 Charlotte, NC - Milestone *^
08-25 Baltimore, MD - Sonar *^
08-26 Providence, RI - Living Room *^
08-27 Boston, MA - Paradise *^
08-28 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *^!
08-29 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks ^!
08-30 Columbus, OH - Milo ^!
09-01 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop ^!
09-02 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Ballroom ^!
09-03 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge ^!
09-04 Dekalb, IL - The House Cafe ^!
09-05 Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon ^!
09-06 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club !#
09-07 Fargo, ND - Aquarium !#
09-10 Seattle, WA - Neumos !#
09-11 Portland, OR - Backspace !#
09-13 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill *!#
10-14 Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
10-15 Oslo, Norway - John Dee
10-16 Gothenburg, Sweden - Nefertiti
10-17 Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
10-18 Malmö, Sweden - Debaser
10-19 Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
10-21 Berlin, Germany - Lido
10-22 Leipzig, Germany - UT Connewitz
10-23 Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
10-24 Vienna, Austria - Brut
10-25 Krakow, Poland - Unsound Festival

* with Evangelista
^ with Common Eider, King Eider
! with Prurient
# with Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone