Veteran indie rockers, The New Pornographers, are making their awaited return to Nashville, Tenn. Nov. 4.
The band has been on tour since October in support of its newest record, “Brill Bruisers,” which the group released in August.
With a four-year gap between album releases, the band is excited to be out on the road with some brand new music and has already played some memorable concerts.
“We did the Treasure Island festival in San Francisco, and that was great for us. It was an idyllic spot for us, and it was a huge festival. It was the last show of the tour, so it was a great way to go out with palm trees, warm weather and 20,000 fans,” said guitarist Carl Newman.
“Every show has been great for us, it’s almost like it was a spoiling of riches having a fun and successful show almost every night,” Newman added.
The band’s recent release is also a new direction for The New Pornographers, and it has been prevalent on tour with high-energy performances.
“We purposefully wanted to make an up-temp record. We spend a few days just sitting in the studio just messing with tempos and speeding everything up. I feel like we spent years slowing things down because for the five or six years people just thought we wrote slower songs, and as a songwriter I consciously wanted to try new things. It was fun to play and experiment with all the arpeggiators and synthesizers. ‘Brill Bruisers’ is a defiantly celebratory album, and it communicates that we won’t be dragged down,” said Newman.
The fall tour also marks a new point in the band’s career, as the band’s founding drummer, Kurt Dahle, who left the group in September, will not accompany it.
“It’s slightly different playing without Kurt, but we have an amazing drummer playing with us named Joe Seiders. It’s weird not playing with someone who you’ve worked with for so long, but it’s also great bringing a new energy to the music with a new addition to the band,” said Newman.
The biggest feature of this tour, though, is the band is playing with its full lineup.
“We don’t always tour with the full lineup, like with Neko Case and Dan Bejar, so if you’re really into our music that’s a great reason to show up,” said Newman. “We’ve also been relearning old songs and pulling out deep cuts throughout the years trying to change up the sets as much as possible. I feel like we’re as good as we’ve ever been as a live band, and it’s nice to go out on tour with that confidence.”
The New Pornographers will be performing at Cannery Ballroom Tuesday, Nov. 4.
PHOTO: courtesy of The New Pornographers
Comments