Tour Dispatch: In Praise of Wanderlust

As tour continues, one rarely gets much time to look back at the adventures already passed. After our Newcastle show, Withered Hand Dan and I went to Beth Jeans Houghton’s flat and recorded this old Irish folk tune (taught to me by the amazing Ryan Doyle), all three of us in the bathtub. Here’s to natural reverb and ancient songs.

17 February 2011 CAFE RUEF Freiburg, Germany =
19 February 2011 HALDERN POP BAR Haldern, Germany =
20 February 2011 LIDO Berlin, Germany *
22 February 2011 DE KREUN Kortrijk, Belgium *
23 February 2011 TRIX Antwerp, Belgium *
23 February 2011 MERLEYN Nijmegen, Netherlands !
24 February 2011 DOORNROOSJE Nijmegen, Netherlands *
25 February 2011 MELKWEG Amsterdam, Netherlands *
26 February 2011 VOXHALL Aarhus, Denmark *
01 March 2011 CAFE MONO Oslo, Norway =
02 March 2011 PUSTERVIKSBAREN Göteborg, … Continue reading


In Praise of the Velvet Underground, In Celebration of a Tour with Withered Hand

Withered Hand and Woodpigeon go way back. In fact, Withered Hand played his first show with Woodpigeon at the Bristo Hall in Edinburgh ages ago, and since then we’ve shared the stage everywhere from The Ark at the foot of Prince’s Street to Union Chapel in the heart of London. Now, on the eve of our first extended tour together, a duet cover of the Velvets’ ‘I’m Set Free’, recorded 1/2 in WH’s Edinburgh apartment, and finished in WP’s Calgary living room (cello by the lovely Clea Foofat).

THE WP + WH ETERNAL TOUR 2011
16 January 2011 MUSA CHURCH Aberdeen, Scotland
21 January 2011 OLD BRIDGE INN Aviemore, Scotland
22 January 2011 THE STAR INN Stornoway, Scotland
23 January 2011 HOOTENANNY Inverness, Scotland
25 January 2011 STEREO Glasgow, Scotland
26 January 2011 CLUNY 2 Newcastle, UK
27 January 2011 … Continue reading


New Places + New Faces Pt. 1: Winter Tour 2011 + "Fra Le Nuvole"

It is with great excitement that we announce both the first batch of Woodpigeon 2011 Solo Tour dates (with many more to follow) and a new UK/Europe-only rarities collection pulling together the Spirehouse and Our Love is as Tall as the Calgary Tower EPs: Fra le Nuvole. The songs of Fra le Nuvole were recorded in part at home in Calgary (featuring LoveACT’s Darcy McIntyre), and with dear WP comrade Hampus Norén in Stockholm, while the remixes were assembled in Montreal, Quebec and Doha, Qatar. Fra le Nuvole‘s artwork is by Turin, Italy’s elyron design team, and the collection will be available from on-line retailers from 17 January 2011, with tracklist as follows:

01. Spirehouse (From Die Stadt Muzikanten)
02. Our Love is as Tall as the Calgary Tower (From Die Stadt Muzikanten)
03. Music for … Continue reading


XOXMAS From Woodpigeon to You

There are two types of people during the holiday season, I think: those who love Christmas songs and those who could do without. Personally, I’m one of the latter, but, that said, I’m definitely a fan of songs inspired by the chilly winter months leading up to the Big Ho-Ho-Ho. In the past couple of years, Woodpigeon’s been asked to come up with a Christmas tune to mark the holiday season. Instead, what came out instead were two odes about keeping warm – the first co-written with the lovely Laura Leif, and the second with our own FOONYAP. All the best to you and yours, however you celebrate this time of year. (‘Winter Song’ is also available along with some great songs by some great artists at The Line of Best Fit as part of their Canadian Xmas … Continue reading