Pitchfork

Former alaska!/Folk Implosion/lowercase member and oft-cited Fourth Yeah in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Imaad Wasif, recently made an understated splash into the world of solo recordings with his self-titled debut on Kill Rock Stars. To support the record, Wasif is currently traveling the sunny roads of the West Coast; in mid-July, he'll head Down Under to open for and play with the YYYs.

Having previously toured solo once with Sebadoh and once with the Lilys, the singer/guitarist told Pitchfork via email that, "performing this way [under his own name] is more intimate and more intense than anything I've experienced musically before." Responding to whether the experience is more terrifying or gratifying, Wasif explained, "the terror comes from a fear of being misunderstood. Gratification is not something I think about; this is the course of my life."

On stage, Wasif will have help from his friends, "the two part beast", consisting of Adam Garcia and Bob Bruno. Though the songs on Imaad Wasif can sometimes sound self-contained and complete, Wasif said, "the songs have lives beyond those captured on the record, and we are channeling them. I want to leave the gates open to change and creation."

Wasif also revealed that the band, or, if you will, the three-part-super-beast, will perform songs from Imaad Wasif, but Wasif himself will introduce some new material to the crowds solo acoustic style. He elaborated on his interaction with the audiences by saying, "I have been playing my solo shows with my trusty ghost box by my side. It helps me maintain spells and trances. I've started to look into the eyes of the people that I am singing to. If I see black reflected I know we are strangers. If I see white light shimmering I know we are transcending. I want people to know me through my voice, words and music but I can only go so far inward before alienation overwhelms, so I have to try to let go and let the spirit loose. In that way I give myself to audiences completely. Listeners either pick it up or apart, but once it leaves me, I have no control." Whoa, dude.

Once he hits Australia, ("the continent with the highest number of venomous species, and that freaks me out"), he'll join the YYYs' tour, where, "I'll throw myself into the electricity at the core of the whole show and focus on moods and energy conduction. I lose myself in the songs and performances."

From there we can only assume he'll be free to further explore the mysteries of Australia, but don't count on Wasif dallying. His imagination may be inclined towards mystical thinking, but his work ethic can't be faded.

You heard the man, pick it up or apart:

06-28 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern *
06-29 Portland, OR - Towne Lounge %
06-30 Eureka, CA - The Pearl Lounge
07-01 San Luis Obispo, CA - 578 Buchon Street
07-02 San Francisco, CA - Café du Nord
07-03 Santa Cruz, CA - The Attic
07-12 Auckland, New Zealand - St. James ^
07-14 Sydney, Australia - Metro ^
07-19 Perth, Australia - Capitol ^
07-21 Melbourne, Australia - The Forum ^

* with Viking Moses
% with Parenthetical Girls
^ with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs