Pitchfork: Willy Mason to Tour With Decemberists

Erstwhile 19-year-old blues-folk one-man-show Willy Mason isn't quite ready to be added to that list of native sons neglected by the States while lovingly embraced by England (Kings of Leon, anyone?). The Martha's Vineyard native's debut record, Where the Humans Eat, released under Conor Oberst's recently christened imprint Team Love, is about to go gold in Britain. However, Mason's hopping the pond this May to win over the gentle hearts and minds of indie pop lovers stateside. Enter the Decemberists, who have tapped the singer-songwriter to open for them on the second leg of their Advance of the Picaroons tour, beginning on May 4 in New York City. Following his East Coast jaunt with the lads (and lass), Mason will be making an appearance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tenn. Finally, looming in his future is "Austin City Limits", so keep an eye on your local public television station. Dates:

05-04 New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
05-05 Philadelphia, PA - TLA *
05-06 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
05-07 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers *
05-08 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel *
05-09 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse *
05-11 New Orleans, LA - TwiRopa *
05-12 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theater *
05-13 Nashville, TN - Exit-In *
05-14 Louisville, KY - Headliners *
05-15 Newport, KY - Southgate House *
05-17 Bloomington, IN - Buskirk Chumley Theater *
05-18 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom *
05-19 Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection *
05-20 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall *
05-21 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre *
05-22 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *
05-24 Portland, ME - The Asylum *
05-25 Boston, MA - Avalon Ballroom *
05-26 Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw *

* with the Decemberists

In other news, the Decemberists-- who, as noted in these virtual pages, were recently victims of gear theft-- have found their gear! Well, not all of it. They're still short some accordions and keyboards and a few guitars, but frontman Colin Meloy reported via the band's official website that in a raid on a bunch of houses in their native Portland, a few of their weirder instruments-- as well as a shit-ton of other bands' musical loot-- have been recovered by police. What intrigue! The band profusely thanked the legion of fans who donated to their instrument replacement fund, and assured those generous souls that an effort is underway to either reimburse or direct the funds to another charity.