UK Living Room Tour

Dear friends, 

I've been thinking a lot about the impossibility (and miraculous possibility) of holding both joy and sorrow at once. Wishing you comfort in this particularly tense and disheartening moment in history. I hope art and friends and sweetness and illumination reach you. 

Next month I'll do my last little round of Living Room Shows for the year, this time, in the UK. I've loved playing these intimate concerts. The experience is shaping the next batch of songs which feel more brave and more thoughtful than anything I've made. This will be my first UK tour since before the pandemic. It's only five shows, all under-the-radar, and any amount of word-spreading would mean the world to me. 

NOV 13 WED
Railway Inn @ 8:00pm 
Winchester, United Kingdom
TICKETS 

NOV 15 FRI
Undertow Living Room Cooncert @ 7:00pm 
Birmingham, United Kingdom
TICKETS 

NOV 16 SAT
Undertow Living Room Concert @ 7:00pm 
Manchester City Centre, United Kingdom
TICKETS 

NOV 17 SUN
Undertow Living Room Concert @ 7:00pm 
Preston, United Kingdom
TICKETS 

NOV 23 SAT
The Central @ 1:00pm 
Gateshead, United Kingdom
TICKETS 

A couple weeks ago I had the profound pleasure of sharing the stage with writer-pals Hanif Abdurraqib and Kaveh Akbar, and musician-pal Kasey Anderson for a benefit at Portland Art Museum's new Tomorrow Theater. All three have new beautiful releases out now (Kaveh's novel Martyr! is currently up for a National Book Award). I highly recommend you check out their work. My friend Vera Brosgal drew us during the show and captured the fact I was smiling the whole time. 

Currently reading the new Sally Rooney novel, Intermezzo, and rereading Elena Passarello's excellent collection of essays about the voice, Let Me Clear My Throat. 

Much love from here,
LG

Living Room shows across the us

Hello hello,

Greetings from Portland, Oregon. I spent much of the past few months with a broken foot. Now that it's healed and I'm bopping about again, Spring feels especially ecstatic. Very pleased to be hitting the road in May and June. 

I had an incredible tour of the Western States in January and February, organized by the kind wizards at Undertow Music. Every concert took place in a home, studio or other non-traditional venue. I tried out songs for the next record, got to share some things I am thinking about, and had thoughtful conversations with so many people. The experience was transformational for me. 

I loved it so much I decided to do another run of Living Room Concerts, this time across the country and back. My full tour is below with a link to buy tickets. These are under-the-radar shows and very dependent on word-of-mouth. I'm so grateful to everyone for spreading the word. If you live in any of these places, or have friends who do, please join me for new songs and stories. 

May  8  : Moscow, ID
May  9  : Spokane, WA
May 10 : Butte, MT
May 11 : Helena, MT
May 12 : Bozeman, MT
May 14 : Minneapolis, MN
May 15 : St. Peter, MN
May 16 : Mineral Point, WI
May 17 : Madison, WI
May 18 : Chicago, IL
May 19 : Champaign, IL
May 21 : Indianapolis, IN
May 22 : Columbus, OH
May 23 : Detroit, MI
May 24 : Akron, OH
May 25 : Buffalo, NY
May 26 : Auburn, NY
May 29 : Stanfordville, NY
May 30 : E Greenbush, NY
May 31 : Montague, MA
June 1 : Providence, RI
June 2 : Boston, MA
June 4 : Portland, ME
June 5: York, ME
June 7 : New Haven, CT
June 8 : Brooklyn, NYC
June 9 : Brooklyn, NYC
June 19 : Baltimore, MD
June 20 : Philadelphia, PA
June 21 : Washington, DC
June 22: Richmond, VA
June 23 : Chapel Hill, NC
June 24 : Sylva, NC
June 26 : Lexington, KY
June 27 : St. Louis, MO

Currently reading the new novel, Reboot, by my pal Justin Taylor, as well as the beautiful collection of writings, The Condition of Secrecy, by the Danish poet Inger Christiansen. I also started rereading the Ferrante Neapolitan books in Italian (very, very slowly). 

One other fun thing. I recently showed up in a Jeopardy question! 

Yours, blooming,
LG

Living room tour and favorites of the year

Winterlings,

 The strange thing about taking so much time away from music is that I start to get the feeling I dreamed it all up—the shows, the places, the people. So I’m especially thrilled to announce a little tour, a gentle toe-dip back into sharing songs.

Each of these shows will be held in someone’s home or other not-normally-a-venue space—intimate performances that involve me fumbling through new songs and trying to remember old songs and telling stories in between. I’ve been hiding away working on a book, so I’m a bit nervous, a bit excited to crawl back out into the world. Most of all, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for everyone who offered to host shows (and the folks who already grabbed tickets before I had time to announce the shows). Tickets are on sale here (and make a nice holiday gift).

I’ve loved so many works of art this year, but are a few things I found especially moving:

Past Lives (film) by Celine Song

Showing Up (film) by Kelly Reichardt

The Bear (TV show)

Valley of Heart’s Delight (record) by Margo Cilker

Oh Me Oh My (record) by Lonnie Holley

Empire Electric (record) by No-No Boy

Easy Beauty (book I read in 2022 but read again this year) by Chloe Cooper Jones

The Vaster Wilds (book) by Lauren Groff

All-Night Pharmacy (book) by Ruth Madievsky

The Tigers, They Let Me (book) by Anis Mojgani

These are challenging days, and I wish you all an abundance of warmth and light,

Happy Holidays,

LG

A LONG HELLO, PORTLAND SHOW.

Hello friends near and far, 

The last time I updated my website or emailed a newsletter was late February 2020. The pandemic has been many things: I make quilts now, I can tile a bathroom, I take a lot of walks. I’ve also been working on music and writing projects, which I’m excited to share someday soon. 
 

For those in the Portland area, I’ll be playing my first show in over two years, June 4th at Mississippi Studios. I’ll be trying out new songs and attempting to remember old ones. My very dear buddy, Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, will be performing a set, AND my longtime super-pal, Rachel Blumberg and I will be playing a short set of music from our new project called ENCOURAGEMENT FRIENDSHIP BAND. 

Please come! Grab your tickets here.

Other stuff I’ve been up to: 

A while back, the radio show and podcast Selected Shorts gave me the ridiculously wonderful but also intimidating assignment of writing a song based on a new short story by one of my favorite living writers, Lauren Groff. I performed the song last month at Symphony Space in New York for Selected Shorts’ anniversary event and book launch. I am told it will be airing on the show at some point. I will keep you posted. 

The very strange but earnest song called Ursula, which I made with the experimental jazz collective Blue Cranes, is out in the world on their Voices album. Blue Cranes are incredible musicians and I had so much fun collaborating with them and hope to do more soon. 
 

A few months ago, I recorded a cover of the Horse Feathers song “Curs in the Weeds” for the Kill Rock Stars anniversary compilation. The music Kill Rock Stars has put into the world has changed my life, so it was an honor to be a part of the celebration.

At the end of 2020, I had the pleasure of scoring the very great podcast series called Timber Wars, produced by OPB. The podcast won some nice awards last year, including a trophy from MIT that arrived at my door in a Tiffany’s box. It’s really is worth a listen, especially if you live in the Northwest. 

That’s all for now. Wishing you all energy and illumination in this season of baby ducklings and itchy eyes. 

LG.

Hello winter pals,

HAPPY (belated) NEW YEAR!

2020 will be a quiet year for me as far as touring goes. I’m thankful to take some time away from the road and I’m excited for a few secret projects in the works. So far I’ve been reading a lot of philosophy and playing basketball.

But I do have THREE SHOWS in February, the only performances on my calendar at the moment. It would mean so much if you could help me spread the word.

FEBRUARY 21 – Philadelphia Museum of Art – Free with Museum admission! Reserve a spot here.

FEBRUARY 22 – New York - 'Voices on the Hudson' at City Vineyard. The Natvral (Kip Berman of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) opens! Tickets Here.

FEBRUARY 26 – Showbox Seattle (opening for Death Cab for Cutie) – SOLD OUT

There are still tickets available for New York and Philadelphia. As always, I urge you to grab them in advance!

I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite things of 2019: Books: *Black Light* by Kimberly King Parsons, *Women Talking* by Miriam Toews, *Disappearing Earth* by Julia Phillips, *Trust Exercise* by Susan Choi.

Music: *Titanic Rising* by Weyes Blood, *This is How You Smile* by Helado Negro.

Movies: *Parasite* by Bong Joon-ho, *Atlantics* by Mati Diop.

With Love,
LG

Hello hello,

My sincere thanks to everyone who came out to the West Coast solo shows these past few weeks. It can be an intense and scary thing to stand alone on a stage night after night. I felt overwhelmed with your warmth. Thanks to Chris Pureka and her dog Iris for being such lovely tour buddies.

NORDIC BLAST (Norway, Finland, Poland):
My last run of shows this year is taking me to several cities I’ve never played, including my first shows in the Arctic Circle. If you have friends in any of these cities, please send them to my shows (and pass along any tips).

FRI NOV 8 - Krøsset - Oslo, Norway - TICKETS
SAT NOV 9 - Bar Moskus - Trondheim, Norway - TICKETS
SUN NOV 10 - Landmark - Bergen, Norway - TICKETS
WED NOV 13 - Spazio Diamante - Roma, Italy - TICKETS
FRI NOV 15 - Ars Cameralis Festival - Katowice, Poland -TICKETS
SUN NOV 17 - On The Rocks - Helsinki, Finland - TICKETS
TUE NOV 19 - Tvibit - Tromsø, Norway - FREE
TUE NOV 19 - Amtmandens Eftf. - Tromsø, Norway - TICKETS
WED NOV 20 - Dama di - Bodø, Norway - TICKETS

NYC/Philly/Seattle Shows Announced:
I’ll be spending 2020 mostly hiding away making new work (and volunteering for the election), but I do have three shows to announce. I’ll be playing the Philadelphia Museum of Art February 21 (tickets here), then a special show at City Vineyard in New York, February 22 (tickets here), then an already sold-out show opening for Death Cab for Cutie in Seattle, February 26.

eTown Radio:
This summer I had the pleasure of playing the delightful eTown Radio show for a few tunes and an interview. The house band even backed me up. Here’s the link to listen (long-time buddy Damien Jurado also plays).

Much love, stay cozy,
LG

Hello cozy-keepers, bundle-uppers,

I am heading off into the woods for a month, an artist residency at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York, and looking forward to spending my days dwelling in words (thank you to Yaddo for having me, and to RACC for covering my travel costs). First I wanted to send out an update, a bit of news.

FALL SHOWS ON SALE:

I am very excited to play some West Coast double-headers in October with my kind and talented friend Chris Pureka, including a special anniversary show at my favorite Mississippi Studios (October 27).

FRI OCT 11 - Sam Bond's Garage - Eugene, OR - TICKETS
WED OCT 16 - Harlow's Restaurant and Nightclub - Sacramento, CA - TICKETS
THU OCT 17 - The Moroccan Lounge - Los Angeles, CA - TICKETS
FRI OCT 18 - Felton Music Hall - Felton, CA - TICKETS
SAT OCT 19 - Cafe Du Nord - San Francisco, CA - TICKETS
SUN OCT 20 - HopMonk Tavern Novato - Novato, CA - TICKETS
WED OCT 23 - The Bartlett - Spokane, WA - TICKETS
THU OCT 24 - Vashon Center for the Arts - Vashon, WA - TICKETS *
FRI OCT 25 - Fremont Abbey Arts Center - Seattle, WA - TICKETS
SAT OCT 26 - Shakedown - Bellingham, WA - TICKETS
SUN OCT 27 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR - TICKETS
(all dates with Chris Pureka)
* with Ara Lee James and Beth Wood

In November I’ll be hopping over to Scandinavia, Poland, and Italy for a handful of shows. Here are all the dates:

FRI NOV 8 - Krøsset - Oslo, Norway - TICKETS
SAT NOV 9 - Bar Moskus - Trondheim, Norway - TICKETS
SUN NOV 10 - Landmark - Bergen, Norway - TICKETS
WED NOV 13 - Spazio Diamante - Roma, Italy - TICKETS
FRI NOV 15 - Ars Cameralis Festival - Katowice, Poland -TICKETS
SUN NOV 17 - On The Rocks - Helsinki, Finland - TICKETS
TUE NOV 19 - Tvibit - Tromsø, Norway - FREE
TUE NOV 19 - Amtmandens Eftf. - Tromsø, Norway - TICKETS
WED NOV 20 - Dama di - Bodø, Norway - TICKETS

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER:

I went on a few wilderness adventures, deliriously happy to spend some time off the grid, finally hiked the Timberline Trail, which circumnavigates Mount Hood, and then had the pleasure of rafting the Snake River through Hells Canyon as the musical guest for Winding Waters River Expeditions (I highly recommend their trips). Also, I got to teach kids to make and play songs at Pendleton Rock Camp. Here are a few pictures:

THINGS I’VE BEEN READING:

Inland by Téa Obreht (one of my brilliant and generous teachers at Hunter College)

Plainwater by Anne Carson

The Question of Bruno by Aleksandar Hemon

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen Arnett

Florida by Christine Schutt

The Vexations by Caitlin Horrocks

GLADDEN HOUSE SESSION

Finally, I wanted to share this sweet session from way back in June I performed as part of the wonderful Nelsonville Music Festival.

Thank you for reading.

See you on the other side,
LG

Hello to all the kind folks who read my thoughtful spam,
 
I am currently, jetlaggedly enjoying the springtime in New York.
 
I just returned from a truly wonderful tour in Europe, both energizing and exhausting. I’m so grateful for all the people who came to shows, and for my friend Beatrijs De Klerk who joined me on violin, keys and vocals. Highlights included running through the Venice alleyways, riding the Budapest Eye and spotting an albino nutria on the riverfront in Frankfurt. Here are a couple of photos (of Schwäbisch Hall, Germany and Venice, Italy).

Greetings from Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the Corn Palace (which is actually quite impressive).

NEW YORK!!

I’ll be performing at the beautiful new Loft space at City Winery TOMORROWwith the talented Jesse Marchant opening. It’s gonna be a good one. Here is a handy poster, I made (photo from the Fader).

There are limited tickets left, available here.

I have a handful of upcoming East Coast dates. Tickets are here:

Fri Apr 26 - New York City, NY @ City Winery (TICKETS) *
Thu May 9 - Portland, ME @ Apohadion Theater (TICKETS) ^
Fri May 10 - Providence, RI @ Columbus Theater Upstairs (TICKETS) #
Sat May 11 - Boston, MA @ City Winery Haymarket Loft (TICKETS) #
Thu May 16 - Baltimore, MD @ The Crown (EVENT)
Fri May 17 - Washington, DC @ City Winery Loft (TICKETS)
Sun May 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live (TICKETS) %
Sat Jun 8 - Sun Jun 9 - Nelsonville, OH @ Nelsonville Music Festival (TICKETS)

* with Jesse Marchant
^ with Greg Jamie
# with Arch Cape (Rachel Blumberg)
% with Birdie Busch

TWO SHOWS IN THE WILDERNESS:
 
I’m excited to announce two shows in the wilderness of Eastern Oregon.
 
June 1st and 2nd, I’ll be returning to the Minam River Lodge in the Eagle Cap Wilderness in the Wallowas, performing music on the back deck. I played out there last summer and it was hands-down my favorite trip of the year. You can only reach the lodge by hiking in, or by hitching a ride on a tiny airplane. It’s truly one of my favorite places I have ever been.
 
Their summer is quickly getting booked up but there are still a few spots available for the weekend I’m performing. Book a night or two here.

In August, I’ll be the musical guest for Winding Waters Rafting’s annual Music for Wild Places trip. I’ve wanted to raft down Hells Canyon since I was a kid and couldn’t be more excited to play campfire shows each evening.  Spots are limited and can be reserved here.

THINGS TO READ:
 
Folks that follow me on Instagram (@lauragibsongirl) know that I sometimes post the books I’ve been reading. I’ve been asked for recommendations often at the merch table, so I thought I’d share a few here.
 
 
The last round of Europe tour I read and LOVED these books:
Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
The Falconer (by friend and fellow Hunter MFA alum Dana Czapnik)
Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
Normal People by Sally Rooney
 
The books I just bought upon my arrival in New York and am very excited about:
Sing to It, New Stories by Amy Hempel
Being Here is Everything: The life of Paula Modersohn-Becker by Marie Darrieussecq
 
Book I read this past year that I still think about all the time:
Women Talking by Miriam Toews (Portland folks – she’s reading at Powells soon)
The Gospel of Trees by dear friend Apricot Irving (just won an Oregon Book award)
In the Pockets of Small Gods poems by my buddy Anis Mojgani

KEXP SESSION:
 
And finally, KEXP recently posted a video of our full session back in December. Check it out here:

Thank you for reading!
Love, LG

I have a lot of news to share!
 
I’m very proud to present a new video I directed for my song, “I Don’t Want Your Voice to Move Me”, which premiered today. The song is an anchor for Goners and seems to be many people’s favorite from the record. We shot it over two days in September, across the state of Oregon, from the Zig Zag Ranger Station to the Alvord Desert. I learned so much working with our small crew/cast: Scott Ballard (DP), Asia Brown (AC), A.J. Van Loo (Drone shots), Josh Kletzkin (Editor/Colorist), and young Olivia Van Loo who joined me on camera. My mom and I made the costumes.
 
The nice folks at Brooklyn Vegan shared the video this morning, along with a few of my thoughts about making it. Watch here:

In other video news, the video for “Domestication”, which I co-directed with the amazing Alicia Rose, will be screening as part of the Reel Music Film Festivalnext week. More info here.

I’m honored to have been named a curator for Joyful Noise Records White Label Series, which highlights lesser-known favorite and forgotten artists by pressing their albums on vinyl. Other curators this year include St. Vincent and Juliana Barwick. Subscriptions to the series are limited and always sell out. I believe there are just a few left here.

I chose the record Hymns by wonderful songwriter and dear old friend Kele Goodwin. To celebrate, we’ll be playing two Oregon shows together. March 21stat Suttle Lodge, and March 23rd at The Old Church in Portland.

Kele will also have some copies of this wonderful record for sale at our 2 shows and on his Bandcamp page. 

Also, excited to announce I’ll be back in New York, April 26th at the beautiful new Loft at City Winery.
 
This current U.S. Tour has been going amazingly well. We’ve just arrived in the Midwest. Yesterday was a big day for me. In all my touring I’d been to every state but one. Last night I finally caught up to the elusive South Dakota and joined the Fifty States Club.

A lot of new dates have been added. Check the shows tab for an updated list.

Thank you for your support, your conversations, your time.
 
LG

Dear winter birds, hunker-downers, snowdrifters,

Happy New Year.

I am about to embark on a big lopsided figure-eight around the United States. I don't make it to some of these towns very often, and really hope you can join me. Word of mouth continues to be a powerful thing, and it always means so much when friends send friends to shows. 

Hello from a hotel off the I-5.

Just a quick note to celebrate my final shows of the year, and to announce a few more shows this winter/spring, including shows supporting beloved Colorado songwriter Gregory Alan Isakov.

For the first half of the tour (Boise through Nashville) my backing band will consist of my crazy-talented friends Stelth Ulvang and Dorota Szuta. They'll also be opening those shows, performing Stelth's songs. I first met Stelth when he was playing in beloved Colorado band Dovekins. He's since been touring with folk-pop superstars the Lumineers and has made a few records of his own. 

The second half (Georgia through San Francisco) I'll be playing solo versions of the Goners songs. I'll be sharing shows with friends Dawn Landes, Takenobu, and Dana Falconberry, then opening for the wonderful Gregory Alan Isakov. 

I'll have some big announcements soon, but mostly want to share these tour dates (check the “shows” tab for updated list of dates).

One of the last things I did in 2018 was hike up to Angel's Rest in the Columbia River Gorge. The trail had just reopened after being destroyed in a massive forest fire in 2017. I was away on tour back when the fire was happening, and remember wondering if I'd ever get to hike those trails again. It was strange and sad and beautiful to be up there. So much is already growing in the burned out sections. Here is the picture: 

Photo 1 (B&W): Lauren Jacobson; Photo 2: Anenome Tank

WNYC SOUNDCHECK
Before our New York show we stopped into one of my favorite radio stations in the world: WNYC. Watch the session here:

I’m honored and really excited to curate a release for the Joyful Noise White Label Series.  

Subscription info here.

Thank you to everyone who has made it out to shows. Sharing these songs has been an incredible experience.
 
Best,
LG

Dear summer-lovers, autumn-embracers,

It’s my profound pleasure to announce that my new record, Goners, will be released October 26th on Barsuk Records (US) and City Slang Records (EU/UK). You can preorder it here

I am also excited to announce the first bunch of tour dates (see below).

Today the Fader premiered a lyric video for the song “Tenderness”. Listen here, and read a few words about the record and the song

The cover of Goners is by the incredible Latvian photographer, Katrina Kepule, from her series Sit Silently. I came across the photo online, and felt an instant connection to it. The image looks like what my soul felt like when making this record. I am honored and amazed that she allowed me to use it. Please check out and support her work.

A few things I have been up to: I spent the fall and early winter tucked away in the studio, working on a new record. I can’t wait to share it with you (more on that in coming days). I poured my whole self into these new songs, took on new challenges, and ultimately remembered how transformative and soul-saving, and joyful music-making can be. Five records in, and it still feels as charged and essential and impossibly magical as ever.

Last month, I was lucky enough to spend two weeks hiking in the Himalayas, all the way to Everest Base Camp. I have wanted to visit Nepal my whole life, and finally the stars aligned to make it happen. I felt dizzy and humbled, staring at those mountains. I didn’t create anything, wasn’t scheming new ideas, I read very little, and didn’t once look at the news -- the whole experience felt meditative and dreamlike, and like a much-needed reset for my mind. It felt particularly meaningful to be there on the anniversary of the earthquake. Many of the people I met were deeply affected by damage and loss, and are still recovering. When I asked how best to help, every single person said, “Tell your friends to visit Nepal.” So, I am telling you now to visit Nepal. I can’t recommend it enough (and would be happy to point you towards some great guides).

Here is a photo from the trek (there are many, many more Nepal photos over on Instagram @lauragibsongirl )

Thanks for reading this. Hope to see you soon.
Laura

5/29/2018

GONERS is here

My new record is finally out today, and available in all the places. I am so thankful, and kind of astounded, that making music still feels as essential and charged and life-saving now as it did when I began. Songwriting remains a strange tethering of extreme loneliness and extreme connectedness. Thank you to everyone who has listened so far, and especially those who’ve gotten in touch to tell me so. Chekhov said (or at least George Saunders said that Chekhov said) that the purpose of art is to “prepare us for tenderness”. My hope for these songs is that they help you stay tender. 🐺

Check out the NPR First listen

Dear friends,

It’s my great honor to share my new song and video, “Domestication” via the good folks at NPR Music.

The whole GONERS record is out three weeks from tomorrow.

I was lucky enough to co-direct with the great Alicia Rose, who has taught me so much. A bunch of people worked hard to pull this off, perhaps, most significantly my mom, who sewed all the costumes and stuck around most of the day to help out. It’s an incredible feeling to dream up a wild idea, then watch it come to life.

Huge thanks to my heroes Emma Browne and Eden Dawn for their care and hard work.

Thank you to the most incredible crew and cast.

Directed by Alicia J. Rose & Laura Gibson
Editor: Alicia J. Rose
Stylist/Art Director: Eden Dawn
DP & Colorist: Sean Conley
Producer: Emma Browne
AC: Jordyn Roach
Gaffer: Liz Haan
Key Grip: Liz Vaughan
G&E Assist: Hailey Backenstos
MUAH: Claire Brooksbank
PA: B. Frayn Masters
Costume Seamstress: Catherine Gibson

Cast:
Laura Gibson
Anya Pearson
Ashley Mellinger
Danielle Frandina
Caitlin Rice
B. Frayn Masters
Emily Kendal Frey
Teri Untalan
Noelle Magia
Sarah Fennell
Marian Mendez
Jen Bernard
Ramatoulaye Thioub
Amy McMullen
Rosie Luis
Ramona Frandina Hunt
Natalee Gehred
Jackie Gehred
Maggie Gehred
Sylvia Gehred
Annalise Gehred
Kevin Freeny

Music, Lyrics and Arrangement by Laura Gibson
Song produced by Laura Gibson and John Morgan Askew
Engineered and mixed by John Morgan Askew

Performed by: 
Laura Gibson - Vocals, Piano, Wurlitzer, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion
Daniel Hunt - Drums
Dave Depper - Electric Guitar Loops, Bass
Kyleen King - Violin, Viola
Kelly Pratt - Baritone Saxophone
John Morgan Askew – Additional Percussion

Special Thanks:
Grace Memorial Church, NW Film Center, Tristan Stoch, Open Signal, Either/Or Cafe, Barista Coffee, LG’s Sellwood neighbors, Look Out Bolo, Laura Burhenn, Emily Luis, Sean Ogilvie, Pat Moran, Jon Manning/Brightwater Media.

Goners is about grief, but more specifically, it’s about the ways we share our loss with others, the ways we project pain, lash out, or become cracked open by the immediacy of another person. The act of holding each others’ trauma and grief is both miraculous and messy, and those small moments of tenderness, which may appear insignificant to the outside observer, can feel epic and earth-shaking to the ones experiencing them.

It was a strange time to hide away and make something. I so often wonder about the value of songs, and if my time would be better spent protesting, or registering voters, or raising money (not that I can’t still do those things) or getting a law degree (probably won’t do that). But I’ve been saved often enough by art, to know it is, at the very least, a worthy endeavor. There’s great value in staring into the abyss, and in reckoning with our collective sorrow. With that in mind, I worked hard to make something true, something quiet and beautiful. I hope it’s helpful.

Overall, it’s perhaps my darkest, strangest record. I wanted the songs to feel like fables, to unfold in dream logic. Every singing voice on the record is mine (and at places there are many of my voices stacked and collaged). I ditched my guitar on half the songs and instead played piano and Wurlitzer, instruments I’m still shaky at (note: one way to get better on piano is to make a bet with yourself about playing all the piano on a record). I wanted to leap beyond my abilities and see where I landed.

I was happy to have long-time buddies Dave Depper, Daniel Hunt, and Nate Query on board, as well as new collaborators, the amazing Kyleen King (strings) and Kelly Pratt (horns, woodwinds). I was thankful to co-produce the record with John Askew, who worked so hard with me on Empire Builder. John is one of the most generous, talented collaborators I know.

This fall/winter I’ll be hitting the road with a full band in support of Goners. Here is the first batch of shows, with links to buy tickets. It means a lot to share these songs in person, and word-of-mouth is still the best way for people find out about my music (it’s always wonderful when folks bring friends along). Spread the word, if you wish. Do buy tickets in advance, as some of these cities will sell out.

U.S. Tour Dates

Fri Nov 2 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR // TIX

Sat Nov 3 - St. Mark's Cathedral - Seattle, WA* // TIX

Mon Nov 26 - DC9 - Washington, DC // TIX

Tue Nov 27 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY // TIX

Wed Dec 5 - Bootleg Theater - Los Angeles, CA // TIX

Thu Dec 6 - Grand Ole BBQ - San Diego, CA // FREE

Fri Dec 7 - The Crepe Place - Santa Cruz, CA // TIX

Sat Dec 8 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA // TIX

*with Horse Feathers and Takenobu

UK/EU DATES

Wed, Nov 7 - Festsaal Kreuzberg - Berlin, DE # // TIX

Thu, Nov 8 - Mojo - Hamburg, DE # // TIX

Sat, Nov 10 - Rolling Stone Weekender - Weissenhäuser Strand, DE // TIX

Sun, Nov 11 - Gebäude 9 - Cologne, DE # // TIX

Mon, Nov 12 - Botanique Rotonde - Brussels, BE # // TIX

Tue, Nov 13 - Queen Elizabeth Hall - London, UK # // TIX

Thu, Nov 15 - Paradiso Noord - Amsterdam, NL # // TIX

Fri, Nov 16 - Petit Bain - Paris, FR # // TIX

Sat, Nov 17 - Rolling Stone Park Festival - Europa-Park, Rust, DE  // TIX

Tue, Nov 20 - Bogen F - Zurich, CH # // TIX

Nov 22 - Bluebird Festival - Vienna, AT # // TIX

Nov 23 - Conrad Sohm - Dornbirn, AT # // TIX

Nov 24 - Meet Factory - Prague, CZ # // TIX

#with Dan Mangan

With love and infinite gratitude,

LG