Pitchfork

A lot of those ragtag, loose-knit bands from Athens, Georgia get slapped with the "collective" label, but dang it if Dark Meat-- the 17-piece bluesy psych orchestra with the sorta rude song titles-- don't deserve it more than most.

The big ol' band laid a tasty slab of rock on us in 2006 in the form of their album Universal Indians, released on Athens label Orange Twin. Now, they've signed to Vice Records, who will reissue Universal Indians with a trio of bonus tracks. The new Indians sports "One More Trip" and "Three Eyes Open", both recorded live in California's Joshua Tree National Park, plus "Universal Indians", the band's tribute to free jazz sax legend Albert Ayler. The newly expanded edition of the disc will arrive on CD April 8 and LP April 22.

And while they're doing their thing on a grand scale, Dark Meat will embark on a positively gargantuan tour of the U.S. It will include many stops at SXSW, most notably a March 12 set at the Orange Twin showcase at Spiro's, at which they will perform the Stooges' Fun House album in its entirety.

I'm also told that Dark Meat travel in a bright green 35-foot bus! Somehow, even that doesn't seem like it'll cover it.

Universal Indians - Expanded Edition:

01 Freedom Ritual
02 Well Fuck You Then
03 Dead Man
04 Birdsong + Footsteps, Flute, Horn
05 Three Eyes Open
06 Angel of Meth
07 One More Trip
08 In the Woods
09 Disintegrating Flowers
10 Assholes for Eyeballs
11 There is a Retard on Acid Holding a Hammer to Your Brain
12 Universal Indians
13 One More Trip
14 Three Eyes Open

Dark Meat:

03-11 Shreveport, LA - Jackrabbit *
03-12 Austin, TX - Bourbon Rocks (Flagpole SXSW party)
03-12 Austin, TX - Spiro's (Orange Twin SXSW party)
03-13 Austin, TX - Ms. Bea's (Todd P SXSW party)
03-13 Austin, TX - Vice Bar (Vice SXSW showcase)
03-14 Austin, TX - Vice Outdoor Stage (SXSW)
03-14 Austin, TX - Spiderhouse (Art Authority SXSW party)
03-15 Austin, TX - Saxon Pub (Exclaim! SXSW party)
03-16 San Antonio, TX - The X-ing ^
03-17 Houston, TX - The Mink ^
03-18 Pensacola, FL - Sluggos ^
03-19 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree ^
03-20 Athens, GA - 40 Watt Club ^
04-07 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
04-08 Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool
04-09 Boston, MA - Milky Way ^
04-10 Bridgeport, CT - Two Boots ^
04-11 Providence, RI - AS220 ^
04-12 Washington, DC - The Red & the Black ^
04-13 Norfolk, VA - The Boot ^
04-15 Raleigh, NC - Slim's ^
04-16 Charlotte, NC - The Milestone ^
04-17 Richmond, VA - Gallery 5 ^
04-18 Baltimore, MD - Talking Head ^
04-19 Philadelphia, PA - WPW ^
04-20 New York, NY - Cake Shop ^
04-21 Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place
04-22 Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
04-23 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
04-24 Urbana, IL - The Canopy Club
04-25 East Peoria, IL - Peoria Pizza Works
04-26 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle !
04-27 Minneapolis, MN - Nomad World Pub
04-28 Fargo, ND - Aquarium
04-29 Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room %
04-30 Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon %
05-01 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive %
05-02 Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
05-03 Missoula, MT - Friend Friend Friend Fest
05-04 Seattle, WA - Comet
05-06 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
05-08 San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern #
05-09 Visalia, CA - The Cellar Door
05-10 Los Angeles, CA - TBA
05-11 Los Angeles, CA - TBA
05-12 Tucson, AZ - TBA
05-13 Phoenix, AZ - TBA
05-14 Houston, TX - TBA
05-15 Austin, TX - TBA
05-16 Ft. Worth, TX - TBA
05-17 Dallas, TX - TBA
05-18 Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
05-19 Columbia, MO - TBA
05-20 Kansas City, MO - The Record Bar
05-21 St. Louis, MO - The Blue Bird
05-22 Champaign, IL - Mike and Molly's
05-24 Chicago, IL - TBA
05-25 Chicago, IL - TBA
05-26 Detroit, MI - TBA
05-28 Brooklyn, NY - TBA
05-29 New York, NY - TBA
05-30 Woodstock, NY - Mountain Jam

* with the Selmanaires
^ with Monotonix
! with Enon
% with Drakkar Sauna
# with Thee Oh Sees