Tuesday, July 28, 2009

VIC CHESNUTT CONFIRMS FALL TOUR DATES IN SUPPORT OF NEW ALBUM


AT THE CUT OUT SEPTEMBER 22 ON CONSTELLATION RECORDS; FEATURES MEMBERS OF FUGAZI, GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, SILVER MT. ZION

“Chesnutt writes intimate, Southern-flavored story songs that are at once crude and elegant; beautiful and gruesome; joyful and sad.”—NPR’s “Weekend Edition”

“When wheelchair-bound Vic Chesnutt spikes his soul-crushing songs with a wicked grin, he somehow gives discomfort a powerful allure.”—SPIN

This fall Vic Chesnutt will embark on a six-week North American tour in support of At the Cut, the Athens, GA-based singer-songwriter’s latest effort. The touring band features Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion, all of whom collaborated with Chesnutt on the new album which is out September 22 on Constellation Records. At the Cut is the follow-up to North Star Deserter, Chesnutt’s 2007 collaborative recording with the same group, lauded by SPIN for “[turning] chronic disquiet into disturbingly palpable dread-folk” and Pitchfork for “[sounding] like a return to the dark woods after years in the city.” Please see below for a complete list of tour dates.

Recorded by former Arcade Fire member Howard Bilerman at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango studio, At the Cut focuses on themes of cowardice, courage, mortality, tenacity, defiance, mourning and memory. The opening track, “Coward,” was originally written for director (and Chesnutt collaborator) Jem Cohen’s Empires of Tin and premiered in a live performance by Chesnutt and his band at the 2007 Vienna Film Festival. Reflecting the broad stylistic range of contributors on the album, the songs on At the Cut span the musical spectrum from classic Vic Chesnutt solo acoustic tracks to the sweeping walls of noise and snarling, angular guitars trademarked by his many collaborators. To be made available on CD and LP, the album’s artwork features original and found photography by Jem Cohen.

In the 19 years since Chesnutt’s debut album, he has made his mark by collaborating with a wide range of artists including Michael Stipe, Lambchop, Bill Frisell, Elephant Six mainstays Elf Power, Widespread Panic and the Cowboy Junkies. Hailing from rural Georgia and confined to a wheelchair since an automobile accident at the age of 18, Chesnutt has released 15 critically acclaimed records; been covered by a number of artists on the tribute album “Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation” including R.E.M., the Smashing Pumpkins, Madonna and Sparklehorse; Chesnutt was the subject of the 1992 PBS documentary Speed Racer and appeared in the Oscar Award-winning film Sling Blade.

VIC CHESNUTT
October 23 Mavericks Ottawa, ON
October 24 Ukranian Federation Hall Montreal, QC
October 25 Sommerville Theater Cambridge, MA
October 26 Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
October 27 Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
October 28 First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
October 29 Ottobar Baltimore, MD
October 30 Black Cat Washington, DC
October 31 The Soapbox Wilmington, NC
November 1 The EARL Atlanta, GA
November 2 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
November 4 Southgate House Newport, KY
November 5 Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL
November 6 Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit, MI
November 7 Lee’s Palace Toronto, ON
November 19 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN
November 20 West End Cultural Centre Winnipeg, MB
November 21 Amigo’s Saskatoon, SK
November 22 McDougall United Church Edmonton, AB
November 23 Knox United Church Calgary, AB
November 25 Richards on Richards Vancouver, BC
November 26 Lucky Bar Victoria, BC
November 27 Crocodile Seattle, WA
November 28 Mississippi Studios Portland, OR
November 30 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
December 1 The Regent Los Angeles, CA
December 2 Club Congress Tucson, AZ
December 4 Hailey’s Denton, TX
December 5 Central Presbyterian Church Austin, TX

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