It’s been a long time since Nathan Wade has played a show in Oregon, so we are excited to announce that the entire band–for the first time ever–will journey southward and disturb the peace.
THU, September 10th @ 8:30pm Axe and Fiddle (21+/$3)
657 East Main St, Cottage Grove, OR
FRI, September 11th @ 9:30pm Dante’s (21+/$8)
1 SW 3rd Ave, Portland, OR
SAT, September 12th @ 9:30pm Luckey’s (21+/$5)
933 Olive St, Eugene, OR
The band will be playing with Portland pals Professor Gall (think Tom Waits & Capt. Beefheart jamming at a 30’s jazz cabaret) at all three shows, and the Pink Floydian mind warp that is My Fellow Traveller will headline the show at Dante’s. Please oin our Dark Pioneers if you live in or around any of the above cities and spread the word; you will be rewarded in this life, or in another.
Here’s a short missive straight from Nathan Wade regarding two upcoming shows:
I know, I know: I said The Comet was our last Seattle show of the summer, but when our friends in The Devil’s Club asked us to open for them at The High Dive, we said “hell, why not?!” It’s a school night, but we’re on first and should be done by 10ish (but stick around if you can).
TUE, August 18th @ 9pm
High Dive (21+/$6)
513 N 36th Street/Ste. G, Seattle, WA
w/The Devil’s Club and Shapiro’s Buick
If Fremont/Tuesday nights aren’t your bag, then how about a Dark Pioneer duo show in Ballard on Saturday? We open for Korey Nagel (of Westerly) and I’ll play a short, foot-stomping solo set followed by some greasy guitar/drum mayhem with Brian Alter.
SAT, August 22 @ 9pm
Conor Byrne Pub (21+/$7)
5140 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA
w/Korey Nagel and Katy Reichlin
Take your pick or double your pleasure!
While we thought the Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum reference was just a joke, apparently the company is underwriting both of these shows. Have The Dark Pioneers gone corporate without telling us? And what are we to do with the 305 boxes of chewing gum that were delivered to the compound on Saturday? We’ll just roll with it, we suppose.
When the band last attempted to play at The Comet, an unprecedented snowstorm struck the Pacific Northwest and the show had to be canceled…Well, the exact opposite may occur this time as Seattle will be in the final throes of a heat wave. And while we doubt the show will be called on account of heat, Nathan has suggested patrons “wear as little as possible”; we fear this may lead to unexpected–or potentially undesirable–results, so please use your best judgment. However, sharing a bill with great bands such as Half Light, Gertrude’s Hearse, and Sneaky Thieves, it seems that at least “taking one’s shirt off” is called for.
The Dark Pioneers will also travel to Tacoma, Washington for the first time, playing with long-time friend/touring partner Sam Marshall and his Trio. Please note that the New Frontier Lounge is not a”clothing optional” venue.
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.
...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.
