New These United States
One of the DC-area bands that I've been meaning to check out since I relocated down here last Fall is These United States. However, something has always seemed to come up when I've planned to see them, and they've remained one of those bands whose names I know without actually knowing their music.Well, I can finally say that I've heard one of the band's songs. And, I gotta say, it's pretty damn good. Definitely a strong M. Ward vibe going on (with some beeps and boops mixed in), which is always cool with me. Check it out:
These United States, "First Sight"
The song is from the band's new album, A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate to the Garden of Eden, which comes out on March 4th. The band will then be doing a nationwide tour, starting with a show at Iota in Arlington, VA on Monday and wrapping up back at the Black Cat on April 13th. Catch 'em if you can.
These United States tour dates
3/3 Arlington, VA: Iota
3/4 Richmond, VA: Gallery 5
3/5 Chapel Hill, NC: Nightlight
3/6 Asheville, NC: The Rocket
3/7 Athens, GA: Flicker
3/8 Birmingham, AL : J. Benton
3/10 Shreveport, LA: Minicine
3/11 Dallas, TX: Club DaDa
3/12 Austin, TX: SXSW - Force Field PR/Terrorbird Day Party @ Emo's Main Room
3/13 Austin, TX: SXSW - "DC Does Texas" Day Party @ Cream Vintage
3/14 Austin, TX: SXSW - AfterTheJumpFest Day Party
3/16 El Paso, TX: Ramblin Gallery
3/18 Tucson, AZ: Plush
3/19 Phoenix, AZ: Trunk Space
3/20 San Diego, CA: Epicentre
3/21 Los Angeles, CA: Echo Curio
3/22 Merced, CA: The Partisan
3/23 San Francisco, CA: Hotel Utah
3/25 Portland, OR: Mississippi Studios
3/26 Seattle, WA: Sunset Tavern
3/27 Boise, ID: This House On Fire
3/28 Salt Lake City, UT: Urban Lounge
3/29 Denver, CO: Hi-Dive
3/31 Minneapolis, MN: 400 Bar
4/1 Des Moines, IA: Vaudeville Mews
4/2 Iowa City, IA: Mission Creek Fest
4/3 Chicago, IL: The Hideout
4/4 Louisville, KY: The 930
4/5 Lexington, KY: The Dame
4/7 Providence, RI: AS220
4/8 Somerville, MA: P.A.’s Lounge
4/9 Portsmouth, NH: Studio Verte
4/10 New York, NY: Cake Shop
4/11 Brooklyn, NY: Union Hall
4/12 Baltimore, MD: Talking Head
4/13 Washington, DC: Black Cat
Edited to add: A couple of other things to note. Apparently every show of the 33-show tour will be a collaborative show with a different lineup every night. And if you throw in their 3 SXSW sets, that's 36 completely different lineups. Madness, I say.
And speaking of SXSW, I've added details of their 3 festival shows to the tour schedule above.
posted by Steve @ 8:36 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
TUS is fantastic. It's one of the very few bands that all of Rock Club can agree upon. Their ability to mix up their lineup is impressive. It says a lot about their songs that they sound just as good w/ a full band as they do solo w/ an acoustic guitar.
These US, to my mind, might be the best band in this city right now. Jesse Elliot might be one of the best songwriters in the country right now, honestly. They're extremely versatile and have a textured, layered, nuanced sound that seems to give something new with every listen.
"First Sight" is amazing- listen to all the alliterative lyrical flourishes!
You HAVE to see these guys the next chance you get. Their live show is ever-changing, always interesting, and like anything great, it's forever reinventing itself.
Can't wait for the record to come out.
Ditto what Jumbo Slice said. They rearrange constantly, but at the heart of the band is great songs that are perfect with nothing but a guitar and a voice- a canvas over which they can do whatever they wish.
Yeah, I've already penciled in the Iota show next week, and assuming I can fit it in, I'll also try to catch them at the DC showcase at SXSW to see what type of lineup they put together down there...
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