It’s March — three months into 2012 — and The Men have already played fifty-eight shows. How many have you played, hmm? And that’s not it for the band with the slightly difficult to Google name: these hard rockin’ Brooklyn overachievers are just taking a bit of a breather before heading off on another whirlwind tour of five countries, more than a few states, and a month on the road. The band have been living the road life in support of Open Your Heart (TMT Review), their latest for NYC indie goth stalwarts Sacred Bones. Released earlier this month, Open is The Men’s third full-length and it’s got a little something for everybody (as long as everybody wears a lot of black): surf rock riffs, country twang, bad attitude. (Fans of The Men would also be well advised to get up early on Record Store Day, as Sacred Bones is releasing a follow-up to last year’s RSD exclusive, Todo Muere. It’s called (brace yourselves)… Todo Muere Vol. 2, and it’s got an eight-minute track from The Men called “A Minor,” plus numbers from Amen Dunes, Crystal Stilts and Psychic Ills, amongst others. Vol. 2 comes out on April 21, which is, yep, Record Store Day. You can check out “A Minor” below…)
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Then, after Record Store Day, it’s a virtual desert for fans of The Men. After 58 magical chances to see them, how will people cope with the endless expanse of The Men-less days? Ohhhhh yeah… wait… they’re touring less than a month after “A Minor” and Todo Muere Vol. 2 drop. The Men have one show in New York, then it’s off for a merry jaunt through Europe, where the band will do their thing on the summer festival circuit. They’ve got stops booked at Barcelona’s super dreamy Primavera Festival and London’s always fun Field Day. Then it’s back to North America, where the group will experience the wonders of Toronto’s NXNE fest, before slipping south for Michigan’s previously-unheard-of-by-me-but-wow-with-a-name-like-that-how-could-it-be-anything-BUT-awesome T-Rex Music Festival and of course, Chicago’s A Tribute to Perfect Strangers festival. Just kidding! Pitchfork. They’re playing Pitchfork. But man, Perfect Strangers. Now there was a show that… some people watched. (I’m not gonna say it was good. Unlike The Men.)
Dates:
05.16.12 - New York, NY - Webster Hall *
05.30.12 - Dublin, Ireland - Whelan’s
06.01.12 - Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
06.02.12 - London, UK - Field Day Festival
06.03.12 - London, UK - Shacklewell Arms
06.13.12 - Ottawa, ON - Club Saw
06.14.12 - Toronto, ON - The Garrison [Panache Booking NXNE Showcase] ^
06.15.12 - West Toronto, ON - Wrongbar [NXNE]
06.16.12 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid [T-Rex Music Festival]
06.18.12 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
06.19.12 - Fargo, ND - The Aquarium
06.21.12 - Spokane, WA - Mootsy’s
06.22.12 - Seattle, WA - Barboza
06.23.12 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios $
06.24.12 - San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
06.25.12 - Santa Cruz, CA - 105 Pioneer St.
06.26.12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
06.28.12 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
06.29.12 - El Paso, TX - Lips Lounge
06.30.12 - Austin, TX - Red 7
07.01.12 - Beaumont, TX - Victoria House
07.02.12 - Jackson, MS - Hal & Mals
07.03.12 - Atlanta, GA - 529 %
07.04.12 - Belmont, NC - Haunted Mill
07.05.12 - Washington, DC - DC 9
07.15.12 - Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Festival
* Ty Segall, White Fence, The Strange Boys
^ Black Belles, Mac Demarco & more
$ Hurry Up
% Womyn Pryson
• The Men: http://wearethemen.blogspot.com
• Sacred Bones: http://www.sacredbonesrecords.com