Pitchfork: Twilight Singers Prep New Album, Tour

With young whippersnappers crowding the indie scene, it's always refreshing to see an old codger still pounding the pavement, making records, and generally giving the Hold Steady a run for their money. Following last year's release of his previously abandoned Autumn Headlights project, Greg Dulli finally has a set of brand new Twilight Singers songs in the can and ready to reach the public's ears.

Entitled Powder Burns, the new Twilight Singers album was partially recorded in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Dulli had been recording in the city (as he had done with most of his past four albums) prior to the disaster, and returned after Katrina to finish the album under curfew. As it happened, Ani Difranco was in the same boat (metaphorically speaking), and ended up contributing to the album. Singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur and former Whigs bassist John Curley also put in guest spots.

The album is due out on May 16 on One Little Indian, and it has songs:

01 Toward the Waves
02 I'm Ready
03 There's Been an Accident
04 Bonnie Brae
05 Forty Dollars
06 Candy Cane Crawl
07 Underneath the Waves
08 My Time (Has Come)
09 Dead to Rights
10 The Conversation
11 Powder Burns
12 I Wish I Was

It's been a busy year for the former Afghan Whigs frontman. In addition to recording his own album, Dulli has done production work for the Italian band Afterhours and singer/songwriter Jeff Klein. Both Afterhours and Klein are Dulli's One Little Indian labelmates and, perhaps not coincidentally, both will support the Twilight Singers on their upcoming North American tour).

Dulli has also done some guest vocalizin' for Intramural, the new band from Denver Dalley of Desaparecidos/Statistics, and NearLY (when you see oddly capitalized band names, you know it's going to be good), ex-Nine Inch Nails member Jerome Dillon's new band.

And according to a recent press release, the Gutter Twins, Dulli's collaborative project with Mark Lanegan, will release their debut album in 2007.

Until then, Dulli will be taking his Twilight Singers on the road shortly after the release of Powder Burns. The North American leg will cover May and June, and a European jaunt is scheduled for July.

All queries will be answered:

05-18 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theatre *
05-19 Chicago, IL - Metro
05-20 Newport, KY - Southgate House
05-21 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
05-23 Columbus, OH - Little Brothers
05-24 Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
05-25 Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall
05-27 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
05-28 Montreal, Quebec - Cabaret du Musee Juste Pour Rire
05-29 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
05-30 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
06-01 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
06-02 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
06-03 Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
06-05 Atlanta, GA - Smith's Olde Bar
06-07 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
06-09 Austin, TX - The Parish
06-10 Dallas, TX - Gypsy Tea Room
06-12 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
06-13 Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound
06-15 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
06-16 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
06-17 Seattle, WA - Neumos
06-19 San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
06-21 Hollywood, CA - Avalon
07-06 Manchester, England - Manchester Academy 3
07-07 Glasgow, Scotland - King Tut's
07-08 Balado, Scotland - T in the Park #
07-09 Dublin, Ireland - Oxegen Festival #
07-10 Leeds, England - Cockpit
07-11 Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
07-12 London, England - The Garage
07-14 Barcelona, Spain - Summercase Festival $
07-15 Madrid, Spain - Summercase Festival $

* with Afterhours, Jeff Klein
# with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs, Paul Weller, more
$ with Belle and Sebastian, the Concretes, Sigur Ros, New Order, more