Indie music lovers, this is the summer for you. Bands including The Shins, Mercury Rev, Beachwood Sparks, Ugly Cassanova, and Cousteau are all on the road, ready to pour their hearts out each and every night through these solstice months. One at a time, please!
First on the bill is the pairing of Mercury Rev and The Shins for three West Coast shows. The two bands will stop by popular theatres in California and Washington, June 10-14, before going their separate ways.
Mercury Rev have another European tour mapped out after their stint with The Shins, this time making the festival rounds. After the release of their album All Is Dream last September, the band racked up the frequent flyer miles, jetting between the States, Europe, Australia, and back home again. All Is Dream was re-released in April, amped up with live tracks, videos and documentary footage.
The Shins stay Stateside and hook up with Beachwood Sparks starting July 12. The Albuquerque-based band has enjoyed a steady gig pace since the release of their debut, Oh, Inverted World, which was sent out last year. Support slots with Modest Mouse helped bolster The Shins' name, perhaps the reason for their successful headlining club run this spring.
Speaking of Modest Mouse, the lead singer's side project group, Ugly Cassanova, has a fair amount of dates inked in. Lead by Isaac Brock, the band hits streets June 15, supporting their debut album Sharpen Your Teeth.
Modest Mouse also have some shows nailed down. Starting July 31, they join Cake, Kinky, De la Soul, and Flaming Lips for the Unlimited Sunshine outing.
Last but not least, the British band with a French name, Cousteau, are back in the States for a series of intimate shows starting July 11 to promote their sophomore album with a Spanish title, Sirena. A limited edition DVD EP will accompany the first 50,000 copies of the album and features a few videos as well as unreleased tracks.
For those not familiar with Cousteau, just turn on the TV and you can catch their "Last Good Day Of The Year" track featured in the new Nissan advert. They've joined the increasingly popular ranks of unknown bands whose music is all over car commercials.