This time last spring, the K Records/Anacortes staple Karl Blau shocked all of us earnest, lo-fi, indie-loving listeners by joining Earth on bass for their tour with Wolves in the Throne Room and on their new record — a collaboration so random, so incongruous, that by the time Phil Elverum himself (the beloved mountain man behind The Microphones/Mount Eerie) appeared at the last show, we just about lost it and resigned ourselves to classical jazz for a month.
It’s clear, then, that Karl Blau has been busy since releasing his “Africa”-influenced full-length, Zebra, in 2009. To prove his industriousness, he has a new EP coming out through K Records on May 10. The 12-inch, Max, consists of four tracks and some interesting arrangements (the first song features no vocals at all, and Blau’s clear voice combined with subtle strings on track two are just a tad reminiscent of Arthur Russell). This month, Blau begins a tour, soon accompanied by Little Wings (who also have a new record!). To my great surprise, the tour ventures outside of the West Coast — but only to the Gulf and Georgia, at which point Karl high-tails it back to Washington. Go figure.
Dates:
05.05.11 - Dallas, TX - Good Records *
05.07.11 - Lafayette, LA - TBA *
05.09.11 - Panama City, FL - Zachary’s American Grill *
05.10.11 - Tallahassee, FL - The Far Side *
05.11.11 - Sarasota, FL - New College of Florida *
05.12.11 - Dunedin, FL - Dunedin Brewery *
05.13.11 - St. Augustine, FL - Present Moment Cafe
05.14.11 - Athens, GA - Flicker
05.19.11 - Seattle, WA - Rendezvous !
06.09.11 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
* Little Wings
! Kathryn Calder
• Karl Blau: http://www.myspace.com/karlblau
• K: http://www.kpunk.com
[Photo: Kat Gardiner]
