Re: Mekons US summer tour

I saw the Mekons in the late `80s. One of the few shows where I had to leave before the set was over. Given that I knew a grand total of zero songs of theirs, I wasn't too disappointed. Now, many years later, I can finally see their show to its completion.* Dates (one is in Nashville, TN, don't they know that everyone plays in Nashville, IN?)

09 Jul: The Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN, US
10 Jul: Vivarium, Milwaukee, WI, US
11 Jul: Fitzgeralds, Berwyn, IL, US
13 Jul: Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI, US
14 Jul: City Winery, Pittsburgh, PA, US
16 Jul: City Winery, Boston, MA, US
17 Jul: Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, US
18 Jul: White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ, US
19 Jul: Philadelphia Ethical Society, Philadelphia, PA, US
20 Jul: Union Stage, Washington, DC, US
22 Jul: City Winery, Atlanta, GA, US
23 Jul: City Winery, Nashville, TN, US
26 Jul: Lodge Room, Los Angeles, CA, US
29 Jul: Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA, US
30 Jul: Great American Music Hall, OR, US
01 Aug: Mississippi Music Hall, Portland, OR, US
02 Aug: Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA, US


* the other shows I left early for: the Tubes, I've seen them several times since and the Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, I left because there were horrible (pun intended) and won't be seeing them again.

This is exciting! I'm tempted to follow this tour like a hippie!

I should really see this show. Mekons are not a personal favorite but I always respect a long-lived and influential band with such a catalogue.

The Tractor Tavern, huh ... That's a great place to see a show, but it's pretty small. My guess is, the Seattle date will sell out in a heartbeat.

I've seen Langford & Timms live and also Langford with a bit of a pick-up band of locals. Boths times were great. I hope they come here.

Mekons catalogue is interesting … scattered gems amongst their many years, and the monolith that is Rock’n’Roll. A glorious mic drop of an album.

Fear and Whiskey is my favorite. I don't think it was that well-known in 1985 because it was originally an import-only release. The first U.S. release was more or less a 1989 CD titled Original Sin which also used different artwork (albeit with a similar color scheme) - it still had the album proper along with some good bonus tracks drawn primarily from EP releases from the same era. I didn't know about the album (or the band) until 2002 when it was finally issued in the U.S. with its original artwork and title, and that was thanks to Greg Kot who did a lengthy write-up on it for the Chicago Tribune.

I'd say Fear and Whiskey and Rock’n’Roll are probably their two greatest masterpieces, but they made several other genuinely great albums (like The Edge of the World, Curse and OOOH!) and there's definitely a mountain of gems scattered through their discography.

The Mekons recently released a new single, and next year Fire Archive plans an extensive reissue campaign.