The original lineup of the Meat Puppets – vocalist-guitarist Curt Kirkwood, bassist-vocalist Chris Kirkwood and drummer Derrick Bostrom – have recorded a new album, Dusty Notes, and set tour dates for a run of U.S. shows this spring. “Nine Pins,” the first track from the new LP, which is due out March 8th, is a country-rock rave-up with rattling acoustic guitar, an upbeat rhythm and Curt’s lyrics about the moon shining down on a little piece of ground. The group previously released another country-tinged number, “Warranty.” It’s the first time this lineup has recorded together since 1995’s No Joke!
The album will be available in a variety of formats. On March 1st, the band will release a “bootleg” version of the record on black vinyl in a white jacket, limited to 300 copies. Arizona and Las Vegas record chain Zia will be offering a pressing of the vinyl with “swamp and olive” splatter coloring on March 8th, a date that will also see the regular swamp and olive release.
The lineup first reunited in 2017 for a performance at the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, where they played “Lake of Fire” – the song they played with Nirvana on that band’s Unplugged episode – as well as “Plateau” and “Backwater.” “It was so intense that even I couldn’t deny it,” Bostrom, who stopped playing with the band after their 1996 breakup and did not participate in further reunions, said in a statement. “I remember why we did this. It was magical.”
The group will be hitting the road in April for a month and a half of gigs. Tickets go on sale on January 18th.
Meat Puppets Tour Dates
April 4 – Mill Valley, CA @ Sweetwater Music Hall +
April 5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent +
April 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour ^
April 7 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^
May 8 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge #
May 9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl #
May 10 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts #
May 11 – Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes #
May 13 – Woodstock, NY @ Colony #
May 14 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom #
May 15 – Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall #
May 16 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #
May 17 – Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace #
May 18 – Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Music Hall #
+ Neil Hamburger
^ All Souls
# Sumo Princess, Stephen Maglio