Brooklyn-based Sharon Van Etten had a really good 2010. Her sophomore release, Epic, was well received and she even got to spend the month of November touring with Jose Gonzales’ band, Junip. You would think that the girl might pencil in some time off to start the New Year, but rest apparently really is for the weary.
Saturday night found her powering through a 13-song set at a soldout Bowery Ballroom (where she covered R.E.M.’s “Strange Currencies” to end the encore) and she’s scheduled herself for just over 50 new tour dates to jump-start 2011.
The journey — which lasts until the middle of April — kicks off January 19th in Connecticut and stops in Philly, Ohio, Tennessee, and North Carolina before taking the songstress across the Atlantic to play a few dates for her European fans. Van Etten hits the UK before playing Holland’s Cross-Linx Fest and will open for fellow Brooklynites, The National, in Poland, Sweden, and Finland. She has enlisted the help of the band’s multi-instrumentalist – Aaron Dessner – to record what a press release calls “more intimately heart-wrenching songs,” so keep an eye on YouTube for video of the pair playing some new tunes live.
The tour returns stateside on March 10th and picks up right where it left off with Van Etten playing a pair of shows before rattling off a trio of South by Southwest performances in Austin. She’ll then play a few more rooms in the desert, head to the Left Coast, and hit Canada before criss-crossing the Midwest and wrapping it up with a show in the nation’s capital on April 17th.
If it all seems dizzying, it’s because it is. War On Drugs, Sebastian Blanck, Little Scream, and Julianna Barwick will all take turns accompanying Van Etten on the journey and the full itinerary (as well as a video of that R.E.M. cover) is available below.
Sharon Van Etten 2011 Tour Dates:
01/19 – New Haven, CT @ BAR
01/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s %
01/21 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center at Ohio State %
01/22 – Nashville, TN @ The 5 Spot %
01/23 – Asheville, NC @ Broadways %
02/13 – London, UK @ Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
02/15 – Brussels, BE @ Forest National *
02/17 – Utrecht, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/18 – Eindhoven, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/19 – Groningen, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/20 – Rotterdam, NL @ Netherlands Cross-Linx Fest
02/22 – Krakow, PL – Studio *
02/24 – Warsaw PL – Stodola *
02/25 – Berlin, DE @ C-Halle *
02/26 – Aarhus, DK @ SCC *
02/28 – Lund, SE @ Färs & Frosta *
03/01 – Stockholm, SE @ Cirkus *
03/03 – Helsinki, FI @ The House of Culture *
03/04 – Helsinki, FI @ The House of Culture *
03/10 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
03/11 – Raleigh, NC @ Kings Barcade
03/12 – Atlanta, GA @ 529
03/17 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/22 – Tucson, AZ @ Solar Culture ^
03/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rhythm Room ^
03/24 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
03/25 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Satellite ^
03/26 – Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar ^
03/27 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill ^
03/29 – Vancouver, BC @ Media Club ^
03/30 – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir ^
04/01 – Boise, ID @ Neurolux ^
04/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ State Room ^
04/03 – Denver, CO @ Walnut Room ^
04/04 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown ^
04/06 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center ^
04/07 – Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater ^
04/08 – Madison, WI @ University of Wisconsin ^
04/09 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall ^
04/10 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern ^
04/12 – Toronto, ON @ Drake Hotel ^
04/13 – Montreal, QC @ Casa Del Popolo ^
04/14 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall ^
04/17 – Washington, DC @ Red Palace ^
* = w/ The National
# = w/ War On Drugs, Sebastian Blanck
% = w/ Julianna Barwick
^ = w/ Little Scream
