Shearwater Spreads Its Wings - May 29th @ the Parish

Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds. There are more than 20 species of shearwaters, a few larger ones in the genus Calonectris and many smaller species in the genus Puffinus. If you think you are reading the wrong blog, please don't let these first few sentences confuse you, because today we are talking about birds. But we are not just talking about a normal bird, no, we are talking about the band Shearwater.

Now Shearwater is obviously not a bird (at least by all standard metrics of what constitutes a bird: feathers, wings, beaks, etc.), but quite interestingly shares many characteristics of a bird. Little baby birds spend a while in their mother's nest before they are ready to spread their wings and fly. For years, frontman Jonathan Meiburg has split his time between Shearwater, and a band you might have heard of Okkervil River. But as time has gone on, Shearwater has grown to the point that it excludes his further participation in Okkervil. Meiburg states that, "This is just a logical extension of the way things have been going since Palo Santo," Meiburg adds. "Shearwater's increasingly demanding schedule has meant that I've performed with Okkervil less and less over the past two years, and with Rook coming out in June, we all felt that it would be best if I completely disengaged from Okkervil rather than stretch myself too thin."

While Shearwater started off many years ago as a small side project, it became a lot more with the release of the album Palo Santo in 2006. This haunting album peaked the interest of Matador Records and garnered much acclaim from critics and fans alike. Featuring a variety of instrumentation and lush arrangements, the album is solid and consistent throughout. Meiburg's vocals are birdlike in their delivery. The sounds of a cooing dove and crying falcon are found throughout the album as Meiburg's voice transitions from soft whimpers to strong exclamations. Their new album, Rook, will be coming out in June of this year, and as you guessed it, a rook is a type of bird, go figure.

In support of their new album, Shearwater will be coming through Austin at the Parish on May 29th. With a plethora of material to choose from it should be an amazing show you won't want to miss. Tickets are available here: http://c3presents.frontgatetickets.com/choose.php?a=1&lid=21616&eid=26452


Also, if you want to go to this show for free and bring a friend, simply sign up on our e-list on the right hand side of the page, and we will pick one lucky individual to win a free pass to the show!