Jennifer O’Connor Recruits McNew, Daniel

On August 22, New York-based singer/guitarist Jennifer O'Connor will release her third LP, Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars. The album, which O'Connor self-produced, marks new terrain for the musician, as it her Matador Records debut (she signed to the label last year). It does not mark new terrain for Matador, as she sounds a whole lot like Liz Phair.

Over the River and Through the Woods, um, I mean Over the Mountain... employs the talents of James McNew of Yo La Tengo, Britt Daniel of Spoon, and Kendall Meade (aka Mascott), among others. Despite all the personnel, O'Connor explains on her website that there's a spacious sound to the album (as the title implies); it's stripped of reverb and unnecessary layers: "We purposefully pared everything down to what was necessary for the song."

O'Connor heads over the mountains and across the valleys this summer on tour.

To grandmother's house we go:

06-21 New York, NY - Sin-e *
07-13 Arlington, VA - IOTA Café
07-15 Greensboro, SC - Flying Anvil #$
07-17 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar #&
07-18 Atlanta, GA - The Earl #^
07-19 Athens, GA - Caledonia Lounge #^
07-20 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle #^
07-21 Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 #%
07-22 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 #&
07-28 St. Louis, MO - Duck Room !
08-08 Philadelphia, PA - The Khyber +
08-24 New York, NY - Joe's Pub (Record Release Party)
08-26 Brooklyn, NY - North Six @

* with the Mendoza Line, Choo Choo La Rouge, the Anthem
& with Richard Buckner
# with Hotel Lights
$ with Pleasant
^ with Liz Durrett
% with Prabir & the Substitutes
! with Silver Jews
+ with Husky Rescue
@ with Aloha, Rahim

MP3: Jennifer O'Connor: "Exeter, Rhode Island"