Stephen Malkmus released a laid-back new single “Middle America” coupled with the announcement of a massive North American tour this summer.
Anyone familiar with Malkmus’ solo work or his songs in Pavement will recognize the elements in “Middle America”: Malkmus sings twisting, inscrutable passages in a light croon over smooth guitar rock. The hook is a rascally toast – “May you be shitfaced the day you die/ And be successful in all your lies.”
Malkmus will kick off a two-month run in St. Paul, MN on June 1st and performs at clubs – no festival gigs – around the U.S. and Canada until August 5th. The tour wraps up in Portland, Oregon, where Malkmus lives.
The last full-length from Malkmus and the Jicks, Wig Out at Jagbags, came out in 2014. In 2015, he contributed to Soldiers of Fortune’s Early Risers LP, and in 2016, he was featured on the Grateful Dead tribute charity album Day of the Dead. He also scored the Netflix series Flaked, which starred Will Arnett.
Last year, Malkmus teamed up with members of Sleater-Kinney and Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch on a collection of protest songs. Money raised from sales went to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and 350.org.
Stephen Malkmus Tour Dates
06/01/18 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
06/02/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Back Room at Colectivo
06/03/18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
06/05/18 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups
06/06/18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theater
06/07/18 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
06/08/18 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
06/09/18 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
06/11/18 – Montreal, QC @ Theatre Fairmount
06/12/18 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
06/14/18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
06/16/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
06/17/18 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat
06/19/18 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
06/20/18 – Athens, GA @ The Georgia Theatre
06/21/18 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
06/22/18 – Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
06/23/18 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Woodward Theater
07/17/18 – Petaluma, CA @ Mystic Theatre
07/18/18 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
07/22/18 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
07/25/18 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
07/26/18 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
07/27/18 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
07/28/18 – Tulsa, OK @ The Vanguard
07/29/18 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
07/31/18 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
08/01/18 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
08/03/18 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
08/04/18 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
08/05/18 – Portland, OR @ Star Theater
