Merge Records

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.

Spoon will appear on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight! Other guests include Tom Hanks and the US Olympic bobsled team.

Having just completed a largely sold out UK/Europe trek, the dudes of Spoon are gearing up for their 2010 North American tour, which commences with a March 17 South by Southwest kick off show at Stubbs in Austin, with Spoon headlining a bill featuring Broken Bells, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Walkmen and more. Tickets are selling out fast, so don’t wait!

Spoon’s new album Transference is available now on CD, LP and digital download in the Merge store.

SPOON NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2010
17-March Stubbs – Austin, TX
18-March Republic – New Orleans, LA
19-March Workplay Soundstage – Birmingham, AL
20-March Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
22-March 9:30 Club – Washington, DC * SOLD OUT
23-March 9:30 Club – Washington, DC * SOLD OUT
24-March The National – Richmond, VA
26-March Radio City Music Hall – New York, NY * SOLD OUT
27-March House of Blues – Boston, MA, USA * SOLD OUT
29-March Sound Academy – Toronto, ON
30-March Royal Oak Music Theatre Royal – Oak, MI
1-April Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
2-April First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN * SOLD OUT
3-April First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN * SOLD OUT
5-April Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
6-April Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
7-April In the Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
9-April Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
10-April Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA
11-April Orpheum Theatre – Vancouver, BC
12-April McDonald Theater – Eugene , OR
13-April Fox Theater – Oakland, CA
17-April Indio, CA – Coachella

Spoon will appear on NPR’s World Cafe today! Spoon recently recorded a session and an interview with World Cafe host, David Dye, which will air on nearly 200 stations nationwide. Fans can find their local station by scrolling to the bottom of the World Cafe website & choosing their state under “Find a Program Broadcast Time.”

World Cafe can also be heard worldwide online at the WXPN/Philadelphia stream on weekdays from 2pm to 4pm EST.

The 1000th song offered by KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune” is a special live track from Spoon. While in the studio for a recent Morning Becomes Eclectic session in support of their new record Transference, they recorded, “Something to Look Forward to,” a song they rarely play live from their album Kill the Moonlight. They played it live for the first time in 5 years the night before the session.

Download this unique version of “Something to Look Forward to” and sign up for KCRW’s “Today’s Top Tune” podcast for free songs chosen daily from KCRW’s all Music Channel.

Spoon have released the video for “Written in Reverse,” from their new album, Transference.

The video, directed by Danny Clinch (photographer extraordinaire whose directorial credits include Tom Waits’ “Lie To Me,” Bruce Springsteen’s Devils & Dust DVD and Foo Fighters’ Skin + Bones), documents an actual live performance of the song recorded expressly for the video, expertly rendered in stark black and white.

Watch the video below and visit the Merge store to order Transference on CD, 180 gm LP (with download coupon) and digital download.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Spoon has been very busy celebrating the release of their new album, Transference: an appearance on the Tonight Show, secret shows in LA & NYC, in-stores, interviews, photo shoots, etc. They also took the time to live chat with fans and Bob Boilen for NPR Music and a live performance at KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic. NPR’s All Things Considered chatted with Britt & Jim, too!

Today, Spoon will perform in the parking lot of Waterloo Records in Austin! They have also announced their US tour which begins in New Orleans, LA and includes their first appearance at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall!

Follow Spoon (& Merge!) on twitter for more updates!