Welcome to 2010! The jury is still out on whether we’ve entered a new decade or not, but it’s all numbers on the page either way. And speaking of 2010: if New Year’s Eve didn’t zap the party out of your system, then The Dark Pioneers & I may have a cure for what ails (ales?) ya when we invade West Seattle this weekend.
SAT, January 9th @ 9pm Skylark Cafe (21+/FREE)
3803 Delridge Way SW
Seattle, WA 98106
Not only is the show FREE, but we’re excited to once again share the bill with our pals in Memphis Radio Kings! Gunn & The Damage Done open the show at 9:00pm and we’ll wrap things up a little later on.
Also note that the Skylark Cafe may be tricky to find if you’re not expecting it, so check out the directions from the Skylark web page (just in case).
The price is $15, but hopefully that’s not too daunting for a night of music–and Davy is one hell of a guitarist (blues or otherwise), so be sure to check out his band’s Myspace page to hear what I mean.
This is an exciting (and unexpected) opportunity, so we hope you can join us–not only will we be lonely without you, but you’ll get to see us play in one of the best live rooms in Seattle.
It’s difficult to know how to release an album at a time when the very concept has taken a serious kick in the bubbles…so the best option was to skip the foreplay and go right for the candy!
Without further ado: The Gospel Of Rust is available as a digital download exclusively at Bandcamp.com. Choose high-quality MP3s (320kb), Apple Lossless, or any nerdy variation you can imagine; plus, you can pick your price (at a modest minimum). This is strictly between us right now, too–I haven’t sent this to radio stations, magazines, blogs, or your Uncle Ted–so check out The Gospel Of Rust FAQ if you have further questions, or hop on over to Bandcamp.com to stream the album from beginning to end.
Times are strange, and hopefully The Dark Pioneers can help make them a little stranger…in a good way.
Thank you (times infinity!) to our many friends who came out to The Sunset on Friday night. A fantasticl turn-out, especially for a blustery, rainy Friday evening. We hope you enjoyed the powerful opening set by The Devil’s Club and stayed for Memphis Radio Kings as they tore it up with abandon. In case you weren’t there–or you’re just perpetually confused–The Dark Pioneers & I were joined by our friend Michael Spaly on violin & guitar, adding a whole lotta sound to songs old and new including a cover of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” plus our brand new tune “Gods & Believers” (which has grown a lot since it was “The Way” on the Future Warnings/Field Recordings album). It was a night to remember and, consequently, our last show of the year. Wait…what?
It’s uncharacteristic of me not to have shows on the calender (which hasn’t been empty in nearly three years), but a break was needed. Don’t worry, the band & I will be busy working on new tunes in the next couple of months, plus we’ll FINALLY release The Gospel Of Rust in 2010–to boot, I’ll be working on a blog entry that addresses just what’s taking so long…especially since the album was finished in May!
My creative batteries are finally recharging as winter approaches (they’re apparently not solar powered) and it feels good to get back to writing new songs. I also have hopes of updating this site and, hell, I may even remix the soundtrack we recorded for Moby Dick earlier this year. Stranger days are ahead, but thanks so much for your support over the years!
Before the holidays descend on us like a pack of turkey vultures, we cordially invite you to an evening of unabashed, (un)family friendly Rock-N-Roll at The Sunset in Ballard. On Friday, November 6th, get your drink on early before you succumb to never-ending family gatherings and/or awkward, holiday-themed parties in the workplace.
Prepare yourself: The Devil’s Club opens the show with a demonic, butter-churning of Mephistophelean blues; next, Nathan Wade & The Dark Pioneers will sexily straddle the middle position like lusty, brimstone Romeos. And once your body has already cried out NO MORE!…you’ll be lured, Siren-like, into aural ecstasy by Seattle’s laddish firebrands, Memphis Radio Kings. While a night with a classy, high-priced escort could run you upwards of $300, you’ll get nearly the same satisfaction for a mere $7. ‘Tis the season for giving and we’re gonna give it to ya on a night that will surely land on the sweet, sweet backside of infamy.
While Nathan took a long, much-needed break in Indiana (and we can think of better places to escape to, but we won’t judge), it has been announced that Nathan Wade & The Dark Pioneers will return to the Seattle stage with a show at The Sunset. The date is Friday, November 6th and more details are coming soon.
After their Oregon tour last week, the Dark Pioneers have planned a short hiatus for the month of October and, as September is already winding down, they have one last show planned in Bellingham until…well, who knows what’s next, but here are the details and a few words from Mr. Wade:
FRI, Sept. 25th @ 9:30pm
Green Frog Acoustic Tavern (21+/donations)
902 State Street, Bellingham, WA
Sam Collins & I will play a duo show at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern with special guest Pioneer Michael Spaly (Creeping Time, The Harborrats) on violin, mandolin, and electric goat bladder. It’s my first time back in Bellingham in ages and I’d love to see you again (and who doesn’t want to see what an electric goat bladder looks like?).
While Michael Spaly played on last year’s Chroma Session EP, he has yet to play a live date with The Dark Pioneers, so this is a special occasion (and hopefully one to be repeated). We shall remain cautiously optimistic about this “electric goat bladder,” if such a thing exists.
And speaking of albums, be sure to listen to Part 2 of The Gospel Of Rust, available on Soundcloud. Or you can listen right here:
It’s been a long time since Nathan Wade has played a show in Oregon, so we are excited to announce that the entire band–for the first time ever–will journey southward and disturb the peace.
THU, September 10th @ 8:30pm Axe and Fiddle (21+/$3)
657 East Main St, Cottage Grove, OR
FRI, September 11th @ 9:30pm Dante’s (21+/$8)
1 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR
SAT, September 12th @ 9:30pm Luckey’s (21+/$5)
933 Olive St, Eugene, OR
The band will be playing with Portland pals Professor Gall (think Tom Waits & Capt. Beefheart jamming at a 30’s jazz cabaret) at all three shows, and the Pink Floydian mind warp that is My Fellow Traveller will headline the show at Dante’s. Please oin our Dark Pioneers if you live in or around any of the above cities and spread the word; you will be rewarded in this life, or in another.
Here’s a short missive straight from Nathan Wade regarding two upcoming shows:
I know, I know: I said The Comet was our last Seattle show of the summer, but when our friends in The Devil’s Club asked us to open for them at The High Dive, we said “hell, why not?!” It’s a school night, but we’re on first and should be done by 10ish (but stick around if you can).
TUE, August 18th @ 9pm
High Dive (21+/$6)
513 N 36th Street/Ste. G, Seattle, WA
w/The Devil’s Club and Shapiro’s Buick
If Fremont/Tuesday nights aren’t your bag, then how about a Dark Pioneer duo show in Ballard on Saturday? We open for Korey Nagel (of Westerly) and I’ll play a short, foot-stomping solo set followed by some greasy guitar/drum mayhem with Brian Alter.
SAT, August 22 @ 9pm
Conor Byrne Pub (21+/$7)
5140 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
w/Korey Nagel and Katy Reichlin
Take your pick or double your pleasure!
While we thought the Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum reference was just a joke, apparently the company is underwriting both of these shows. Have The Dark Pioneers gone corporate without telling us? And what are we to do with the 305 boxes of chewing gum that were delivered to the compound on Saturday? We’ll just roll with it, we suppose.
When the band last attempted to play at The Comet, an unprecedented snowstorm struck the Pacific Northwest and the show had to be canceled…Well, the exact opposite may occur this time as Seattle will be in the final throes of a heat wave. And while we doubt the show will be called on account of heat, Nathan has suggested patrons “wear as little as possible”; we fear this may lead to unexpected–or potentially undesirable–results, so please use your best judgment. However, sharing a bill with great bands such as Half Light, Gertrude’s Hearse, and Sneaky Thieves, it seems that at least “taking one’s shirt off” is called for.
The Dark Pioneers will also travel to Tacoma, Washington for the first time, playing with long-time friend/touring partner Sam Marshall and his Trio. Please note that the New Frontier Lounge is not a”clothing optional” venue.
...are Seattle’s purveyors of apocalyptic Americana, hitching the rusted scraps of American roots music to a battered pick-up truck and dragging it across a broken 21st Century landscape. It’s a cinematic trip down a desolate highway as the dashboard rattles apart and the truck radio blasts songs of murder, drug abuse, and Biblical arcana. Learn more.
