Lou Barlow + the missingmen will kick off their first headlining US tour on June 10 at the Casbah in San Diego. New dates with Wye Oak have just been added! To celebrate, we are releasing a brand-new digital EP entitled = Sentridoh III.

Described by the band as “an almost live representation of the Lou Barlow + the missingmen live show,” =Sentridoh III is another step forward for Lou Barlow, and his first release with new backing band the missingmen (guitarist Tom Watson and drummer Raul Morales). With new cuts, rocking reworks of songs from Lou’s Merge debut Emoh and his latest solo record Goodnight Unknown, as well as a hauntingly beautiful cover of Skip James’s “I’m So Glad,” = Sentridoh III is a must-have testament to this remarkable partnership.

= Sentridoh III is available via digital download now in the Merge store, and you can watch a brand new video of “On the Face” at the Merge Vimeo page.

Track listing:
1. Apologize
2. Gravitate / One Machine
3. On the Face
4. Caterpillar Girl
5. Faith Defies the Night
6. Losercore (FREE MP3)
7. Praise
8. I’m So Glad

Lou Barlow + the missingmen on tour:
Jun 10 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Jun 11 Tucson, AZ – Plush
Jun 12 Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Brewing Co.
Jun 14 Austin, TX – Mohawk
Jun 15 Dallas, TX – The Loft
Jun 16 Norman, OK – The Opolis
Jun 17 Kansas City, MO – Record Bar
Jun 18 Denver, CO – Larimer Lounge
Jun 19 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Jun 21 Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Jun 22 Vancouver, BC – Media Club
Jun 23 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Jun 25 San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord
Jun 26 Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg Theater

All dates below with Wye Oak:
Aug 18 Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Aug 19 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Aug 20 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
Aug 21 Nashville, TN – The Basement
Aug 23 Madison, WI – The Frequency
Aug 25 Minneapolis, MN – 400 Bar
Aug 26 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Aug 27 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Aug 28 Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
Aug 29 Montreal, QC – Il Motore
Aug 31 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
Sep 01 New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Sep 02 Cambridge, MA – Middle East
Sep 03 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s

Spring has sprung and it is time for a new free Merge sampler! Featuring hit songs from the latest albums of Radar Brothers, Spoon, Let’s Wrestle, She & Him and more, visit amazon.com now to download all fourteen free songs with special cover art by Let’s Wrestle’s Wesley Patrick Gonzalez!

As always, you can find new albums from all of these artists and more in our handy Merge store.

Free Merge 2010 digital sampler track listing:
1. Radar Brothers – Horses Warriors (from The Illustrated Garden)
2. Let’s Wrestle – I Won’t Lie to You (from In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s)
3. Destroyer – The Very Modern Dance (from Streethawk: A Seduction)
4. Shout Out Louds – Fall Hard (from Work)
5. Spoon – Written in Reverse (from Transference)
6. Lou Barlow – Don’t Apologize (from Goodnight Unknown)
7. She & Him – Thieves (from Volume Two)
8. Superchunk – Learned to Surf (from Leaves in the Gutter)
9. Alec Bathgate – Glide (from Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox)
10. The Clientele – I Wonder Who We Are (from Bonfires on the Heath)
11. Caribou – Odessa (from Swim)
12. The Clean – In the Dreamlife U Need a Rubber Soul (from Mister Pop)
13. Wye Oak – I Hope You Die (from My Neighbor / My Creator)
14. Lambchop – Give It (from Live at XX Merge)

Lou Barlow + the missingmen will hit the road this summer in support of Lou’s most recent release, Goodnight Unknown. This will be the first chance to see Lou playing headlining shows with the missingmen since the new album came out, so get your tickets early! If you don’t see your city below, never fear! More dates will be announced soon!

Borrowing the live-band energy of Dinosaur Jr. and the stylistic reach of Sebadoh, Barlow has built on Emoh’s full production and written a set of immediate, melodic pop songs that Lou describes as, “a cross between my later work with Folk Implosion and my earlier work with Sebadoh…to my ears, anyway.”

Visit our special LooTube channel for a series of videos and a making-of documentary from Goodnight Unknown, and you can preview the full album and order your copy on CD or digital download now in the Merge store.

Lou Barlow on Tour!
6/10 San Diego, CA  The Casbah
6/11 Tucson, AZ Plush
6/12 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Co.
6/14 Austin, TX Mohawk
6/15 Dallas, TX The Loft
6/16 Norman, OK Opolis
6/17 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
6/18 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
6/19 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
6/21 Seattle, WA Tractor Tavern
6/22 Vancouver, BC Media Club
6/23 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
6/25 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
6/26 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater

“Barlow has released music under a number of names — Sebadoh, Sentridoh, The Folk Implosion, Lou’s Wasted Pieces — but regardless of the moniker, his songs have remained unmistakably his own.” ~NPR Music

Merge will be well-represented at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin this year with eight bands and two special Our Noise events. Our bands will be playing all over the city during the festival, so if you will be in Austin, keep your eyes peeled for all of the cool daytime parties being announced daily.

Our helpful flyer is below – click to make it larger & to print it to take with you! Share the link on your twitter & Facebook, too!

Spoon are headlining the NPR show at Stubbs BBQ on Wednesday, March 17 (12:15 am) and She & Him are playing a free, open to the public show at Auditorium Shores on Saturday March 20 (8 pm).  Superchunk are playing a free Village Voice day party at La Zona Rosa on March 19 (3 pm).

Merge Showcase @ Cedar Street Courtyard
208 West 4th St b/t Colorado & Lavaca
Thursday, March 18th
7 PM
(from first to last)
Special Guest
Let’s Wrestle
Radar Brothers
She & Him
Wye Oak
Lou Barlow + the missingmen
The Love Language

Merge @ Homeslice Pizza’s “Music by the Slice” Party
1415 Congress Ave.
Free & Open to the public

Thursday, March 18:
1:30 pm The Love Language
2:15 pm Radar Brothers

Friday, March 19:
Noon Let’s Wrestle
3:45  Wye Oak
6:45  Lou Barlow

Also, book events!

Our Noise event @ Book People (603 N. Lamar Blvd)
Wednesday, March 17 at 6PM
Free & Open to the Public
Mac & Laura will read selections from their book, Our Noise, and will perform covers of songs from selected bands mentioned in the book. They’ll be available to sign books afterwards, too.

Our Noise panel @ SXSW Convention Center
Thursday, March 18 at 2PM
Open to convention registrants only
Michael Azerrad will moderate a Q&A-style event with Mac & Laura about Our Noise and 20 years of Merge Records.