This spring, Stetson-wearing noisemonger Michael Gira is returning to the land of Bergman, Genet, and a freakin’ ton of dungeons. That’s right: America’s favorite vacation destination, Europe! Gira’s going the solo route this time, bringing little more than his trusty guitar, a Chinese lacquered box full of self-loathing, and Cool Ranch-flavored Doritos, plus Swans’ Christoph Hahn as an opening act. Together they’ll all navigate the roads of the Olde World, charting a magical course from familiar destinations like Paris to those more off the beaten path, such as the beautiful Norwegian town of Stavanger, which is fondly referred to by locals as “the town of a thousand creepy basements.”*
So what can European music fans expect from the tour being billed as Cool Ranch Tostitos Presents Michael Gira’s Totally Crunchtacular European Summer Vacation 2012?** This is a solo tour, so lots of great Gira classics with perhaps an Angels of Light or Swans jam thrown into the mix to spice things up, much like how Cool Ranch Doritos spice up any party!! Try ‘em today! In Original Cool Ranch and New Cool Ranch. Anyway, the tour will serve as a taster for the newly revived Swans’ upcoming live album, coming soon via Gira’s Young God Records. Crunchtacular.
* No, it’s not. My apologies to the people of Stavanger.
** Again, just kidding. My apologies to Michael Gira, summer, and Europe. But not Cool Ranch. Yuck.
UPDATE: Gira also has a handful of US dates with Sir Richard Bishop and one with Wovenhand starting mid-March. YES. Check the dates below!
03.15.12 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall #
03.16.12 - Los Angeles, CA - Echo #
03.22.12 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door #
03.23.12 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios #
03.24.12 - Denver, CO - Oriental Theater %
04.04.12 - Dublin, Ireland - Button Factory
04.05.12 - Belfast, Ireland - Black Box
04.06.12 - Glasgow, UK - St. Andrew’s Church in the Square
04.07.12 - London, UK - Cafe Oto
04.09.12 - Paris, France - Le Point Ephemere
04.10.12 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso Upstairs
04.11.12 - Kortrijk, Belgium - De Kreun
04.12.12 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Roadburn Festival/Midi Theatre
04.14.12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
04.15.12 - Aalborn, Denmark - Studenterhuset
04.17.12 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee Club inside Rockafeller
04.18.12- Stavanger, Norway - Cementen
04.19.12 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Slussen
04.21.12 - Helsinki, Finland - Korjaamo Culture Factory
04.22.12 - Berlin, Germany - Roter Saloon inside Volksbuhne
04.23.12 - Vienna, Austria - Chelsea Club
04.25.12 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Le Bourg
04.26.12 - Dudingen, Switzerland - Cafe Bad Bonn
04.27.12 - Ravenna, Italy - Bronson Club
04.28.12 - Florence, Italy - Sala Vanni
04.29.12 - Rome, Italy - Chiesa Evangelica Metodista
05.01.12 - Zurich, Switzerland - Exil
# Sir Richard Bishop
% Wovenhand
• Michael Gira: http://younggodrecords.com
