Chad VanGaalen shares “Monster” from new LP

Chad VanGaalen’s previously announced North American tour dates in support of Shrink Dust begin on May 14th in Cambridge, MA at TT The Bear’s Place and end on June 22nd in Spokane, WA at The Bartlett. The tour will be preceded by a very special acoustic performance & one-off art show in Seattle at St John’s Bar & Eatery on April 29th, the album’s release date. Additionally, there are two UK shows to mention: August 31st in North Dorset, UK at End of the Road Festival and September 1st in London, UK at Oslo.

Chad VanGaalen will release Shrink Dust on CD / LP / DL April 28th in Europe and April 29th in the U.S. via Sub Pop. The album will also be available in Canada via Flemish Eye. Shrink Dust, featuring the songs “Where Are You?” and “Monster,” was produced by VanGaalen at his Yoko Eno home studio in Calgary, Alberta.

More on Chad VanGaalen (by Bryan Webb):

Shrink Dust, his fifth full-length album under his own name, is partially a score to this film, but it’s also—in Chad’s view—a country record.

Always a fan of esoteric instruments, Chad recently acquired an aluminum pedal steel guitar, and began trying to figure out how to play it: “It took me a month to set it up, and a year to be comfortable recording myself playing this thing.” His experiments with this instrument unify the album, along with themes of death, transformation, fear, benign evil, and the eccentricity of love. A newfound affection for The Flying Burrito Brothers, and the sci-fi mysticism of the 1980s graphic novel The Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, were also significant in recent years.

Somehow, with all of its disparate influences and components, Shrink Dust might be one of the most accessible moments in CVG’s creative life, simply because it is more apparent than ever how much fun he is having blurring the lines between the vivid worlds of his creation, and the world his audience inhabits. For those who are open to it, Chad’s adventures in music and art illuminate a path that is more colorful, playful, and sustainable than those commonly available to us. A path that is, most importantly, always changeable (read more at Sub Pop).

Tour Dates:

Apr. 29 – Seattle, WA – St. Johns (Acoustic Performance & Art Show)
May 14 – Cambridge, MA – TT The Bear’s Place*
May 15 – Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House*
May 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Milkboy*
May 17 – Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel*
May 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Brillobox*
May 19 – Cincinnati, OH – MOTR Pub*
May 20 – Columbus, OH – The Basement*
May 21 – Indianapolis, IN – Do317 Lounge*
May 22 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle*
May 23 – Pontiac, MI – The Pike Room at The Crofoot*
May 24 – Toronto, ON – Lee’s Palace*
May 25 – Hamilton, ON – The Casbah*
Jun. 04 -Edmonton, AB – The Starlight
Jun. 05 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigo’s
Jun. 06 – Winnipeg, MB – The Park
Jun. 07 – Regina, SK – The Exchange
Jun. 14 – Vancouver, BC – CBC Music Festival
Jun. 15 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios*
Jun. 17 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall*
Jun. 18 – Los Angeles, CA – The Echo*
Jun. 19 – Oakland, CA – LEO’S*
Jun. 20 – Eugene, OR – Sam Bond’s Garage*
Jun. 21 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Jun. 22 – Spokane, WA – The Bartlett*
Aug. 31 – North Dorset, UK – End of the Road Festival
Sep. 01 – London, UK – Oslo
* w/ Cousins