Pitchfork: Richard Buckner Tours, Readies Next Album

Richard Buckner Tours, Readies Next Album
Alcohol, divorce to suddenly inspire creative... oh wait...

As Pitchfork reported in February, modern folkie Richard Buckner, he of prolix poetics and elegant guitar flourishes, has signed to Chapel Hill's Merge Records to release his sixth album. After getting dicked around by the majors, Buckner must feel relieved that Dents & Shells will be released by such a stalwart indie (on October 12th, if you've got your Palm Pilot handy and want to key it in). The album was recorded at Wavelab Studios in Tucson, AZ, and Tophat Studios in Austin, TX, rounded out by some home recordings from Buckner's Brooklyn residence, and even some "tent" recordings from a recent camping trip. Smells authentic to me.

So would you believe me if I told you that not one, but two Butthole Surfers backed up Buckner on Dents & Shells? According to a Merge representative, it's true: King Coffey on drums, Jason Morales on guitar. Suddenly this mysterious "camping" trip takes on a sinister light, fleeting images of Gibby showing up with a sheet of blotter acid and a box of illegal incendiary devices, silhouettes fleeing a forest in flames. Bassist Andrew Duplantis and keyboardist Jacob Schultz round out the ensemble, with various supporting players on piano, accordion, cello, pedal steel, slide guitar. Expect a full tour to coincide with the record's fall release, and be thankful for this mini-tour now:

05-15 Tucson, AZ - Plush
05-19 San Diego, CA - The Casbah
05-20 Los Angeles, CA - The Silverlake Lounge
05-22 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
05-28 Denver, CO - The Lion's Lair
05-30 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck
05-31 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
06-02 Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
06-19 Brooklyn, NY - North Six
06-23 Somerville, MA - Johnny D's