Andrew Bird and Loney Dear Tour Dates

Wow, my heart really sank when I realized that I will be unable to catch the Andrew Bird / Loney Dear show in San Francisco. Andrew Bird issued one of thebest performances I caught at SXSW 2007, and Loney Dear’s “I Am John” never gets rest with me, appearing on pretty much every mix tape I’ve made in the last two years.

I guess I missed the memo that Loney Dear split from Sub Pop, but they (or he, as the band is basically centered around Emil Svanängen) will have a new album out on Polyvinyl entitled “Dear John” early 2009. In the meantime I’ll just have to watch this video over and over and over….
“I Am John”

And in keepign with the theme, here’s an animated Andrew Bird video:
“Lull (Daytrotter Version)”

LONEY DEAR

12/10 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
12/12 Brooklyn, NY Union Hall
01/29 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
01/30 Boston, MA The Orpheum*
02/03 Washington, DC The 930 Club*
02/04 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse*
02/06 Orlando, FL The Plaza*
02/07 New Orleans, LA House of Blues*
02/09 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
02/10 Houston, TX Rudyard’s British Pub
02/11 Denton, TX Hailey’s
02/12 Austin, TX The Paramount Theater*
02/13 Albuquerque, NM The El Rey*
02/14 Tucson, AZ The Rialto*
02/17 Visalia, CA Howie and Son’s Pizza
02/18 Los Angeles, CA The Orpheum*
02/19 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore*
02/20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore*
02/21 Portland, OR Roseland*
02/23 Seattle, WA The Moore*
02/24 Boise, ID The Knitting Factory*
02/25 Murray, UT The Murray*
02/26 Denver, CO The Ogden*
02/27 Omaha, NE Slowdown*
03/01 Chicago, IL Schubas

* = w/ Andrew Bird

Loney Dear press release following the jump.

The Polyvinyl Record Co. recently announced the signing of Sweden’s Loney Dear, who will release its new album, Dear John, on the label on Jan. 27, 2009. The band will be making two trips to the U.S. – first a brief trip in Dec. for a pair of New York shows, and then a full tour in Feb, where the shows will alternate between headlining gigs and shows in support of the always amazing Andrew Bird.

Hailing from the small city of Jonkoping, Sweden, Loney Dear’s primary member Emil Svanängen first began making homemade recordings of delicate, folkish indie pop in the early 2000s. As Loney, Dear (the band has since deleted the comma from its name), Svanängen self-released three homemade CD-Rs through his website: River Fontana Redux, Citadel Band, and Sologne. As buzz developed through MP3 blogs and other new media manifestations, Sub Pop offered Svanängen a contract in 2006. The first proper Loney Dear album, Loney, Noir, was released in early 2007. The band will be touring the US again in early 2009, and has a pair of New York shows in December where it will be showcasing songs from Dear John for the first time.

Svanängen describes Dear John as a “marvelous album in dark shades with a lava-like glow from underneath.”

Praise for Loney Dear:

“Despair has never sounded so sweet.”–SPIN

“Svanangen’s captivating ruminations sound as if he’s trying to capture the purest essence of joy, albeit with a melancholy underbelly. It’s that bittersweet warmth that makes Loney, Dear’s hushed, pastoral folk songs seep into the heart.”–NPR

“He wraps the ups and downs of a whirlwind romance into tiny packages. You’re left hungry, fully certain that 34 minutes– let alone five– will never be enough of this very, very good thing.”–Pitchfork

“Through soft layers of acoustic instrumentation and vocal harmonies, Svanangen creates a sustained and lasting representation of the classic emotions of regret, peace, and loneliness.” –PopMatters

“Svanängen’s bright falsetto holds his miniature musical tapestries together.” –Austin Chronicle

Loney Dear – Dear John Cover Art
Loney Dear
Dear John
(Polyvinyl)
Street date: Jan. 27, 2009

1. Airport Surroundings
2. Everything Turns to You
3. I Was Only Going Out
4. Harsh Words
5. Under a Silent Sea
6. I Got Lost
7. Summers
8. Distant
9. Harm
10. Violent
11. Dear John

LONEY DEAR LINKS:

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/loneydear
Press Materials: http://www.polyvinylrecords.com/press/