Photo Credit: Jody Rogac
David Byrne
8/12/18
PNC Pavilion at Riverbend, 6295 Kellogg Ave, Cincinnati, OH
show 8pm, Buy Tickets
David Byrne has officially announced openers for his upcoming world tour in support of his new solo album American Utopia, out March 9 on Todomundo/Nonesuch Records. Each internationally celebrated act was handpicked by Byrne, who has long championed younger, innovative artists from varied backgrounds through touring, collaborations, David Byrne Radio and more. Support includes Lisandro Aristimuño in Argentina; Juana Molina in Uruguay; Karina Zeviani in Brazil; Mexican Institute of Sound in Mexico; Perfume Genius, Benjamin Clementine, and Ibeyi in the United States; and Laura Mvula in Europe. On the tour, which is selling quickly, Byrne will perform new songs from American Utopia, as well as classics from his solo career and his days with Talking Heads. A twelve-piece band will also join Byrne on stage for an Annie-B Parson choreographed concert that he has called “the most ambitious show I’ve done since the shows that were filmed for Stop Making Sense.” Annie-B Parson also choreographed the St. Vincent and David Byrne collaboration tour around Love This Giant.
David had this to say about some of the opening acts via Twitter:
Juana Molina
“Juana Molina will be bringing her ‘powerful hallucinogenic vibes’ to the #AmericanUtopia show in Montevideo next month! @spin @teatrodeverona”
Mexican Institute of Sound
“I included Mexican Institute of Sound in my November 2014 DB Radio playlist and I’m so excited to have them open the #AmericanUtopia shows in Mexico! @tmetropolitanmx @AuditorioPM”
Benjamin Clementine
“I was introduced to Benjamin Clementine’s music through a friend. I was floored! I asked him to perform in the 2015 #MeltdownFest I curated in London and am honored to have him join me at various stops along the #AmericanUtopia US Tour!”
Laura Mvula
“In tough times one might expect artists to play it safe… But everyone here is taking chances; it’s heartening.” From a June 2016 playlist that included Laura Mvula and it couldn’t be more relevant now. Looking forward to Laura joining some #AmericanUtopia dates across Europe this summer!”
Lisandro Aristimuño
“Lisandro Aristimuño has been on a number of my Latin Rock playlists over the years and it’s a privilege to have him and his band join me at my show in Buenos Aires.
Ibeyi
In the Yoruba language, Ibeyi is an Orisha who is embodied as a pair of twins. A Candomble priest read my shells in Salvador and determined that my primary Orisha is Obatala. What happens when Ibeyi meets Obatala? We’ll see when they join #AmericanUtopia dates on the West Coast!
Karina Zeviani
I met Karina years ago in NY and knew her from her work with NouvelleVague. I was drawn to her lovely bossa/sambas and hooked when she took her sound in a more experimental/electronic direction. Karina will join the #AmericanUtopia tour in Brazil!
Perfume Genius
“Perfume Genius’s gorgeous songs are filled with unexpected sounds and deeply personal—and his costumes would have made Bowie jealous. I am looking forward to sharing the stage with Mike during some #AmericaUtopia dates this Spring!
More about American Utopia
While David Byrne has collaborated on joint releases with Eno, Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim), and most recently St. Vincent over the past decade, American Utopia is Byrne’s first solo album since, 2004’s Grown Backwards, also on Nonesuch. American Utopiamorphed during the writing and recording process, beginning with longtime collaborator Eno, and eventually growing to include collaboration with producer Rodaidh McDonald (The xx, King Krule, Sampha, Savages) alongside a diverse cast of creative contributors including Daniel Lopatin (aka Oneohtrix Point Never), Jam City, Thomas Bartlett (St. Vincent producer, aka Doveman), Jack Peñate, and others. The album was recorded in New York City at David’s home studio, Reservoir Studios, Oscilloscope, XL Studios, and Crowdspacer Studio and in London at Livingston Studio 1.
The album packaging features the work of “outsider artist” Purvis Young, whose work was often a blend of painting/drawing and collaged elements comprised of everyday found objects. A painting depicting a head with a face of indeterminate race or possibly gender—dreaming, meditating, contemplating—is on the album’s cover.
David Byrne’s recent works include Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine which premiered at The Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love, a twenty-two-song theatrical production about the life of Imelda Marcos, authored in collaboration with Fatboy Slim that premiered at The Public Theater in New York (2013), traveled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017); Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012). In 2015 Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London. Aco-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released nine studio albums and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love, an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne has published and exhibited visual art since his college days, including photography, filmmaking and writing. He lives in New York City.
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