Pitchfork: Andrew Bird Tours, Works on New LP

Andrew Bird and Martin Dosh are on their way to Iron & Wine/Calexico joined-at-the-hip status. At the end of this month, the pair will launch a dual-continental trek, first hitting Europe, and later on, a thick layer of U.S. festival performances. The series will wrap up in late August with an appearance at Lyons, Colorado's Folks Festival. Don't fuck with plurality.

TPF (Touring Partners Forever):

04-30 Brussels, Belgium - Le Nuits de Bontanique *#
05-01 Brugge, Belgium - Cactus *
05-02 Liege, Belgium - Soundstation *
05-04 Nijmegen, Holland - Doornroosje *^
05-05 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso *
05-06 Amsterdam, Holland - Paradiso *
05-07 Groningen, Holland - Vera *
05-08 Hamburg, Germany - Knust *
05-09 Berlin, Germany - Knaack *
05-27 Chillicothe, IL - Three Sisters Park (Summer Camp) %
06-07 Pittsburgh, PA - Point State Park (Three Rivers Art Festival)
06-10 West Lawrence, KS - Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival @
06-16 Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo +
06-24 Paris, France - Cabaret Sauvage (Villette Sonique Festival) &
07-05 Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
08-06 Chicago, IL - Grant Park (Lollapalooza) $
08-20 Lyons, CO - Folks Festival !

* with Dosh
# with Gravenhurst, Radar Bros.
^ with Mi and L'au
% with with moe., Umphrey's McGee, Keller Williams, Yonder Mountain String Band, the Disco Biscuits, more
@ with the Flaming Lips, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Keller Williams Yonder Mountain String Band, the Disco Biscuits, and more
+ with Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Beck, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Death Cab for Cutie, Bright Eyes, Common, My Morning Jacket, Cat Power, Atmosphere, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, the Dresden Dolls, Son Volt, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Devendra Banhart, Mike Doughty, the Magic Numbers, the Streets, Seu Jorge, Dungen, more
& with Stuart Staples, more
$ with Flaming Lips, Kanye West, Wilco, Sleater-Kinney, Death Cab for Cutie, Secret Machines, the Go! Team, the Raconteurs, Queens of the Stone Age, the Shins, the New Pornographers, Broken Social Scene, Built to Spill, Gnarls Barkley, Feist, Iron & Wine, Ryan Adams, Common, the Hold Steady, She Wants Revenge, Wolfmother, more
! with Ani DiFranco, Kathleen Edwards, Martin Sexton, Jane Siberry, more

What we're curious about is how Bird, who's in the midst of knocking out a new record, is setting aside the entire summer for this jaunt, especially when the yet-to-be-titled follow-up to last year's The Mysterious Production of Eggs is slated for an early 2007 release. Looks like Andy B. has some stellar time management skills... or he's practicing his fresh tracks on tour. According to Billboard.com, who spoke with the Chicago musician, Bird has delivered new songs "Dark Matter", "Plasticities", and "Sycophants" to live audiences, and will likely continue to do so throughout his summer adventures. Also on the album is the tentatively-titled "The Armchair Apocalypse", which serves as the record's centerpiece. That name should be set in stone, in Pitchfork's humble opinion.

Of the record's style, Bird commented to Billboard, "I'm writing stuff that's big and spacious, with long, stretched out phrases, a sense of large, open air. But it's also really concise. I'm trying to keep it to 10 songs, but short is pretty hard to pull off when you're trying to create space. I did a recording session in the barn where I opened all the windows and miked everything, just recording three hours of ambient noise. Now I just have to find a way to work it in."

Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey, who worked backup on The Mysterious Production of Eggs tour, and of course, Dosh, are contributing to the effort, which is being recorded at Bird's barn in rural Illinois, Electrical Audio in Chicago, and various studios in Minneapolis. Producer Ben Durrant has been working closely alongside Bird as well.

Also on the agenda are a live album (featuring both Bird and Dosh), set for self-release in the fall, and a September tour.