Frankly, with the weather so unbelievably forgiving here in the Pacific Northwest, it’s even hard to keep shut-ins such as ourselves indoors. That being said, we must apologize for allowing the website to grow stale and untouched. Aside from the new songs posted on Myspace (yes, three of them!), we must announce the band’s return to The Sunset in Ballard:
The Dark Pioneers are first on the bill, so don’t be late! Then please stay tuned for Hurricane Chaser and Lost Dogma.
Now, if you’d please pass the sunscreen–we are about to emerge from our bunker for the first time in months.
The band has spent some time away from live performance after February’s Conor Byrne show in order to mix their album with producer/mixing master Brad Zeffren. We’ve heard the results here at the compound and we are truly stunned. Unable to contain this excitement, Nathan has been coerced to post one of the finished mixes on Myspace for everyone’s enjoyment.
This World (Already Over) features special guests Lincoln Barr on electric guitar and Patrick Porter on pedal steel (aka, one half of Red Jacket Mine). It can only be described as cinematic, Spaghetti Western tragi-twang with a touch of funk. Please have a listen.
And next, the band returns to what they do best: blowing your collective minds from the stage.
Friday, April 24th @ 9:00pm Jules Maes Saloon (21+/$5) 5919 Airport Way S, Georgetown, WA 98108 w/Professor Gall and Golden Robot Army
Friday, May 1st @ 9:00pm The Brick Saloon (21+/FREE) 1 Pennsylvania Avenue, Roslyn, WA 98941 w/Red Jacket Mine
These two shows have unintentionally become a drinking tour of the Northwest’s oldest watering holes. You will absolutely be soaked with rustic charm and spilled booze should you dare follow the band’s caravan to Georgetown and Roslyn, Washington. Portland’s Professor Gall plus Seattle’s Golden Robot Army share the bill at Jules Maes, then Red Jacket Mine has demanded a rematch after last December’s surreal musical tournament in the Cascade Mountains went sour. Regardless of the victor, the local beer is reportedly fantastic and the burgers come highly recommended as well. Please enjoy the red meat, but do so responsibly.
We must apologize. While we of The Doomsday Committee were attending our annual Black Masque/Canasta Tournament in Cleveland, Nathan had promised to update this website on our behalf; he failed miserably. It was very fortunate that we found this email from Mr. Wade in our inbox, which we shall now reprint in it’s entirety:
Hello to all our Northwestern Sweethearts of Darkness. I’ve been lost at sea since Moby Dick opened a week ago, so I’m behind in telling you about a couple of things:
Saturday, Feb. 28th @ 9:00pm Conor Byrne Pub (21+/$7) 5140 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98107 w/Sam Marshall Trio and John Craigie
It’s been too long since my touring buddy Sam Marshall and I have shared a stage. After we both started playing with our respective trios, it’s finally time to have our bands play head to head…or back to back…or something. San Francisco’s John Craigie starts the night off while Sam and I arm wrestle to determine who plays next. It’ll be like the Stallone film Over The Top (without the awful Sammy Hagar song).
Book-It Repertory Theatre’s MOBY DICK, OR THE WHALE by Herman Melville Adapted & Directed by David Quicksall Now - March 8th @ The Center House Theatre 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, WA 98109
The band & I composed the music/sound score for this stage adaptation of Melville’s novel. This is truly an ingenious and inventive production that we are proud to have been a part of–I certainly hope you get a chance to see it before it closes. Tickets and more information are available at www.book-it.org, or by calling (206) 216-0833, TUE-FRI, noon - 6pm.
After last week’s successful night at The Tractor Tavern (and perhaps one of the band’s best shows to date), The Dark Pioneers are already hard at work recording Moby Dick music and finishing a full-length album–consequently, shows will be sparse until Spring. In the meantime, here are a couple of items for your consideration:
Live Footage - Red Bicycle Bistro, Dec. 6th
This clip of “Dry Up Like A Dream” surfaced recently from the band’s mini-tour with Red Jacket Mine in December 2008–joining The Dark Pioneers on electric guitar was Red jacket Mine’s own Lincoln Barr. You get the entire song, right up until the band segues into “The Reaper’s Son.”
Here is an excerpt from Americana UK’s take on The Dark Pioneer’s ‘Chroma Session EP’:
With dirty blues and slimy slide guitar, Nathan Wade sings amongst the scrap heaps and rust of the detritus of the American dream…More brutal at times even than Nick Cave, but as concerned with apocalypses both personal and global…[read the full review]
While ultimately a positive review, there are certainly a few…uhm…unusual asides in this article. We’ll forgive the oversight of the Ennio Morricone/Spaghetti Western references in “Skoal Bandits” and puzzle over how “Long Black Lilies” has a cliched title, but the comparison of Nathan’s voice to that of The Cure’s front-man Robert Smith–well, perhaps the reviewer needs to expand his musical horizons a bit. Nevertheless, we here at Dark Pioneer Central appreciate the kind words!
Stay safe, stay vigilant,
The Doomsday Committee
ps - Nathan wishes to add that, while he considers The Cure’s ‘Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me’ a great album, he has never intentionally tried to sound like Robert Smith…though, come to think of it, he has taken to wearing black nail polish and eyeliner lately.
Welcome to 2009! Since the impending Apocalypse did not ring in the new year, Nathan Wade & The Dark Pioneers will now be able to play at The Tractor Tavern on January 18th. Everybody wins!
SUNDAY, January 18th @ 8:00pm The Tractor Tavern (21+/$6)
5213 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
w/Painted Hills and Whiting Tennis
It was back in June of 2007 when The Dark Pioneers made their official live debut on the Tractor stage and they are truly excited to return to their roots (so to speak). With a $6 cover charge and the following Monday a holiday, it would be hard to resist a night like this. And note: The Dark Pioneers start right at 8:00pm, so don’t be late.
UPDATE (12/20/2008, 6:50pm): Nathan Wade & The Dark Pioneers have pulled out of tonight’s Comet show due to BLIZZARD-OCALYPSE 2008. No word from the venue regarding closure or cancellation as of yet.
UPDATED UPDATE (12/20/2008, 8:11pm): This show is officially cancelled!
Saturday, Dec. 20th @ 9:00pm The Comet Tavern (21+/$7)
922 E Pike St, Seattle, WA
If you were looking forward to the show, take heart: the band will ring in the new year at The Tractor Tavern on January 18th! More details to come.
The holidays are upon us, the days are growing ever shorter, and 2008 has nearly run out of road. Take heart, because The Dark Pioneers are playing a trio of shows this week that may cut through the chaos and gloom with a dose of it’s own medicine.
First off, it’s “last call” at Fado, where the band has held a monthly residence since May. Their last show will be on Thursday, December 4th, playing three sets of music from 9pm to midnight. New songs, old favorites, and even a dream ballet. Help the band go out with a bang, marveling at Fado’s “Middle-Earth-meets-Dublin” decor while enjoying a pint or two.
THU, December 4 @ 9:00 Fado Irish Pub (21+/FREE!)
801 1st Ave, Seattle, WA
The following night begins two days on the road with long-time friends and part-time collaborators Red Jacket Mine for a pair of shows that Nathan claims will “titillate and excite the senses.” We only hope his pants stay on for the entire weekend.
FRI, December 5 @ 9:00pm The Brick (21+/$5)
1 Pennsylvania Lane, Roslyn, WA
SAT, December 6 @ 9:00pm Red Bicycle Bistro (21+/FREE!)
17618 Vashon HWY SW, Vashon Island, WA
Nathan’s summation: “Who knows what chaos will erupt as we play our respective sets, but you can bet that RJM’s Lincoln Barr will join The Dark Pioneers, trading licks that will make the guitar gods weep.”
We can only hope. Stay safe, stay vigilant–and please, no more turkey and stuffing for another year.
We’re happy to report that the band has finished a very productive, four-day run at Two Sticks Audio! 11 songs were recorded live in-the-studio (with vocals and special guests to be added in the weeks ahead). Brad Zeffren has once again taken the reins, producing and recording the album with stunning results. In the meantime, Nathan is unraveling his copious, cryptic notes from the session, so look for video, audio, and lurid doodles to surface on his blog in the near-future.
On a seperate note, The Chroma Session EP is now available for download at eMusic.com (DRM-free MP3s). This music subscription site is a personal favorite here at the compound and even if you already have The Chroma Session on your iPod (or {shudder} your Zune), eMusic is absolutely worth subscribing to.
Now that Nathan has claimed to have “found himself” (and we’re not sure what he’s found, but he keeps winking when he says it), The Dark Pioneers will take it downtown to Pioneer Square, headlining a show at Seattle’s oldest Saloon:
SAT, Oct. 25th @ 9:30pm The Central Saloon ($5/21+)
207 1st Ave S, Seattle, WA
w/Kenron + The Coyotes
Joining the band will be guest-Pioneer/shredding guitarista Lincoln Barr (of Red Jacket Mine) for a night of pre-Halloween debauchery. Note, too, that the cover charge is only $5 ($10 if you join the Pioneer Square Pub Crawl).
We also wish to extend our gratitude to Barbara Mitchell for her fantastic preview article in The Stranger. Barbara, The Dark Pioneers and The Doomsday Committee salute you!
...are Seattle’s purveyors of apocalyptic Americana, hitching the rusted scraps of American roots music to a battered pick-up truck and dragging it across a broken 21st Century landscape. It’s a cinematic trip down a desolate highway as the dashboard rattles apart and the truck radio blasts songs of murder, drug abuse, and Biblical arcana. Learn more.
