Normal Happiness Tour Dates And Album News

(real Normal Happiness cover courtesy of Rich T)

Ack! There is too much going on, too many news and reviews to cover for the blog. And this week is an especially busy one for me here at the studio. I will do my best to catch up!


(fake Normal Happiness cover courtesy of DTS and albatross)

Here are the only dates and opening acts for the all-too-short Robert Pollard and the Ascended Masters Normal Happiness tour, coming to a Midwest near you (no West Coast dates?! NOOOOOOO!!!) in November...

NOVEMBER
9- Bloomington, IN- Bluebird (opening act- Nassau, Jon McCann's band)
10- Chicago, IL- The Abbey Pub (opening act- Nassau, Jon McCann's band)
11- Dayton, OH- The Foundry (opening act- Mitch Mitchell's Terrifying Experience & Murder Your Darlings)
12- off
13- NYC- Bowery Ballroom (opening act- Starling Electric)
14- Philadelphia, PA- World Cafe Live (opening act- Starling Electric)
15- Baltimore, MD- Sonar (opening act- Portastatic)
16- off
17- Boston, MA- Paradise (opening act- Starling Electric)
18- Northampton, MA- Pearl Street (opening act- Richard Davies)

Thanks to the always newsworthy Rich T for the dates. As for me, I had been waiting for the tour announcement to plan a journey home to visit baby Grace- possibly getting a show in all on the same trip. But being that November is a ways away and so close to Christmas, when I will likely be going home to New Jersey anyway, I'm not sure now. Maybe I should fly home in October and skip this tour (I can't believe I'm saying that). But there have been ominous forebodings on DTS that this may be the last Robert Pollard tour ever (or at least for a while) so I'm in a bit of a quandary. Must think... (dang the Dayton show would be a blast, with Mitch Mitchell on the bill- but then how would I get to NJ?)


(fake Normal Happiness cover courtesy of DTS and thingsthatfallfromthesky)

Anyway, Normal Happiness, the newest Robert Pollard solo release, will be dropping on October 10th! I have a copy of the album (had it for quite a while, but didn't want to spill the beans or upset the apple cart, choose your metaphor) and it is a slice of pure pop cherry pie (so cherry). Todd Tobias' instrumentation is more stripped down and light than From A Compound Eye, but the songs are just lovely. Especially catchy are Accidental Texas Who, Whispering Whip, Boxing About, Serious Birdwoman- heck, the whole record is catchy. I will post a more thorough review as we approach the release day.

The official tracklisting is...

01 The Accidental Texas Who
02 Whispering Whip
03 Supernatural Car Lover (heard on the Bob tour)
04 Boxing About (heard on the Bob tour and as an instrumental track on the Music For Bubble EP)
05 Serious Birdwoman (You Turn Me On) (heard on the Bob tour)
06 Get a Faceful (heard on the Bob tour)
07 Towers and Landslides
08 I Feel Gone Again (heard on the Bob tour)
09 Gasoline Rag
10 Rhoda Rhoda
11 Give up the Grape
12 Pegasus Glue Factory
13 Top of My Game
14 Tomorrow Will Not Be Another Day
15 Join the Eagles
16 Full Sun (Dig the Slowness)


(fake Normal Happiness cover courtesy of DTS and crunch)

And if you pick Normal Happiness up from your local independent record shop or Indianapolis' finest Luna Music (home of the Fading Captain Series, preorder now!), you will get a bonus disc called Moon for free! Moon is the professionally recorded and mixed live performance of Robert Pollard and Ascended Masters from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati from June 24th, opening for Pearl Jam! Huzzah! And the tracklist for Moon is...

Gold
I Surround You Naked
Blessed In An Open Head
Get A Faceful
Dancing Girls and Dancing Men
The Right Thing
Dolphins of Color
Boxing About
Fresh Threats Salad Shooters and Zip Guns
Conqueror of the Moon
I'm A Widow
I Feel Gone Again
Games of Pricks
Love is Stronger Than Witchcraft (with Eddie Vedder)


(Moon cover courtesy of Rich T, photo by Rich T, 2 for 2)

Sadly, no Baba O'Riley but that particular track is available on the Pearl Jam concert download site, if you are so inclined. October 10th is a day that will live in infamy (or something) and I can't wait!