Ben Bridwell is taking a brief break from his role as leader of Band Of Horses this November to tour the South as a solo artist, Birdsmell. Full list of dates below. He says of the tour:
“While living in Minneapolis in 2008, I covered the George Harrison song, “Your Love Is Forever” with some buddies of mine. The track ended up being released on a Starbucks compilation. A few years later, I enlisted those same musicians to record some songs of mine that had been sitting around for far too long, some of which could be said to be uncomfortably silly and devoid of all reasonable taste. I wasn’t exactly in a rush to get them out to the discerning earholes of the public. Regardless, this project was pure enjoyment for me and it was nice to not give a damn about anything, but having fun recording these songs. I’ve now decided to take this approach on the road on the Birdsmell tour, which will be coming to a Deep Southern town near you this fall.
As far as the shows go, I absolutely do give a damn about playing for everyone and I will try very hard to make the shows enjoyable. To help with this, I’m bringing along one of my favorite songwriters, Bryan Cates to set it off each night. I’ve also enlisted a legitimate hype man in the form of Matt Gentling (of Archers of Loaf fame).
I’ve finally decided to unload a few of the those recordings, so check them out as you just might hear them along with more songs old and new on the Birdsmell tour. I hope to see you there!”
-Ben
They are currently streaming here: bit.ly/1fP2uLT
“Why Were You Born” and “Tulsa” will be pressed in to 7″ vinyl singles to be sold exclusively at each stop on the tour.
For tour updates, humorous anecdotes and general Ben Bridwell-ness follow @birdsmell on twitter.
Birdsmell Tour Dates
11/2 – Carrboro, NC –Cat’s Cradle (Back Room): http://ticketf.ly/18gnEcq
11/4 – Charlotte, NC – Evening Muse: http://ticketf.ly/1caBhy6
11/6 – Asheville, NC – The LAB: http://birdsmell.brownpapertickets.com
11/8 – Knoxville, TN – The Bowery: http://bit.ly/1aJpg4H
11/9 – Chattanooga, TN – Rhythm & Brews: http://bit.ly/15raJXH
11/11 – Birmingham, AL – Bottle Tree: http://bit.ly/1dl39ni
11/13 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl: http://bit.ly/178AXR9
11/15 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt: http://ticketf.ly/14yNJWW