We don't keep Grandad Mix Tape around the office just because we enjoy changing his diaper, cutting the kernels off his corn cob and mashing them into a salacious slosh (that's not supposed to sound as bawdy as it looks), and sponge bathing the old coot. Despite forgetting that the toilet contains a seat and that he should lift it when doing his bi-weekly monthly business, he sometimes wows us with vivid recollections from the days of yore. He was there 40 years ago today when Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play; he was there, not to deliver but to perform the bris on the mystery baby born at Woodstock, and he was there many moons ago when infectious noise-makers Built to Spill decided to kick-start their musical pursuit and subsequently put Boise, ID on the map as the next great music city (hey, legacies take a loooong time to build, okay?).
Alright, Built to Spill are not that old -- I have pustules that are much older -- but they have playing and perfecting their aggressive pop sound for so long it wouldn't surprise me to hear that they were the house band aboard The Mayflower. In fact, Doug Martsch and co. make sounds so moving and profound and that many of the world's top health, research, and intelligence agencies -- the Surgeon General's office, Mossad, the Miami Sound Machine, The Bathroom Reader Institute -- have deemed them a little too good for your health. Whatever.... Built to Spill fans are definitely made of tougher stock so they will be out in droves this summer when the band embarks on a North American tour starting June 30 in Minneapolis, playing classics from their latest hit album, You In Reverse and from their stellar back catalog.
In record-related Built to Spill news, not one, not two, but THREE reissues are on their way from Warner Bros. The beloved band's albums Perfect From Now On, Keep It Like a Secret, and the aforementioned You In Reverse will be re-released in 2,000 limited, regular-weight, double-vinyl doses June 19 with a couple of curios included. Keep It Like a Secret will add on a bonus B-side track "Forget Remember When," while Perfect From Now On tacks on the unreleased "Easy Way." You In Reverse will be available in a gatefold sleeve with artwork by the troika of Mike Scheer, Tamara Shores, and Karena Youtz (but, as far as we can tell, it doesn't contain any tasty bonus material).
Built to thrill... always!
06.30.07 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
07.01.07 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest, WLUM Stage
07.02.07 - Cleveland Heights, OH - Grog Shop
07.03.07 - Lancaster, PA - The Chameleon Club
07.05.07 - Boston, MA - Avalon Ballroom
07.06.07 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
07.07.07 - Brooklyn, NY - McCarren Park Pool
07.08.07 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
07.10.07 - Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
07.12.07 - Montréal, Quebec - Le National
07.13.07 - Ottawa, Ontario - Ottawa Bluesfest, River Stage
07.14.07 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
07.16.07 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
07.17.07 - Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre
07.18.07 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
07.20.07 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
07.21.07 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
* P.S. Mukluks are cold-weather boots that are favored by our northern Inuit friends in Arctic climes. If you don't know what they look like, you can picture the fashionable slimmed-down Ugg version that the nicest people from Hollywood like Gwyneth Paltrow wear. Isn't Gwyneth the greatest?!?! Chimo!
