For those just tuning in, Craigslistlieder is a piece from 2006 in which I set eight classified ads from the eponymous web site to music. Over the years, folks have suggested additional texts, but it wasn’t until this one made it into my mentions that I felt I had to comply. Thank you/condolences to @AKaiAndHisDogs for encouraging me to write it.
In other news, I’m heading back out on tour next week in support of Magnificent Bird. In the coming month, you can find me in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Nashville, and Columbus.
A few housekeeping notes:
On May 11th, I’ll be at Stanford’s Bing Concert Hall, where I will hypnotize tomorrow’s tech leaders and then lead them in an oceanside ritual involving Fitbits and heritage goats. But seriously, Stanford Live helped commission Magnificent Bird, and has been super supportive of this project since its inception. Big love!
The following evening, May 12th, I’ll be at Gold Diggers in Los Angeles, supported by the incredible Aaron Embry. If you’re not familiar with his music, run, don’t walk, to check him out.
Then it’s on to Denver to play Swallow Hill (May 13), where I’ve not appeared since 2008, when I opened for Crooked Still the same week Chris Thile was premiering his Mandolin Concerto with the Colorado Symphony. Where. Does. The Time. Go.
After a short breather, I’ll be in Minneapolis at the Parkway Theater (May 18), where the fabulous Julie Albers, principal cellist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, will open the show with music by Benjamin Britten and Andrea Casarrubios.
Later that week, I’ll pop down to Chicago’s Constellation (May 21), supported by Theo Espy of Spektral Quartet. I’m not sure what exactly Theo has in store, but I’m pretty sure it will be remarkable.
A morning drive later, I’ll be back at the wonderfully intimate Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor (May 22) before heading south.
The Nashville show will be a special one: at City Winery (May 24), the superlative fiddler Brittany Haas will be joined in an opening set by bassist Paul Kowert, who appears on Magnificent Bird. Haas and Kowert are founding members of Hawktail, the band responsible for making me cry while on a run several years ago. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that they’re both likely to sit in.
Finally, I’ll wrap things up in Columbus at Natalie’s Grandview (May 26) for my first ever headline date in the great state of Ohio, though truth be told, the gig is little more than an excuse to eat some of the country’s finest hot chicken.
Looking ahead to June, the third installment of this season’s Open Music series— presented by the Oregon Symphony and featuring the dynamic duo of Nathalie Joachim and Pekka Kuusisto—will take place on June 3rd at the Alberta Rose Theater in Northeast Portland; I’ll be hosting!
A quick word of gratitude before I sign off: thank you so much to everyone who’s turned up to shows on the first leg of tour. Your presence, individually and collectively, has filled me with warmth, optimism, and light, at a time when so much around us is cloaked in darkness. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to dive into Magnificent Bird, or are new to this newsletter, there’s no time like the present. The music business remains perilous and mercurial; every copy of the record counts. And if you have friends in any of the cities I’ll be visiting, please feel free to pass this notice along to them. In the absence of lots and lots of posting on social media, I’m increasingly relying on word-of-mouth to get the, uh, word out about my gigs.
All my best,
Gabriel
P.S. ICYMI, here is my analysis of a certain Brian Wilson song.
Craigslistlieder 2.0(22) + Tour Updates