by Jade Tree

David Bazan, who put his Pedro The Lion moniker to rest late last year, is set to release his first "solo" outing and followup to Achilles Heel. The release, an EP entitled Fewer Moving Parts, will be available exclusively online and from Mr. Bazan on his June tour, with a "street date" of June 13th.

The EP features two versions of each of the five songs: one a "stripped down acoustic" version and the other with full-instrumentation, all performed by Bazan himself. The release will feature artwork by graphic novel artist Zak Sally, who was also a former member of the slowcore band Low. Mr. Bazan is currently working on his debut LP for release in the Spring of 2007.

In related news, Jade Tree will be releasing posthumous Pedro the Lion collection of oddities. The Tour EP 2004 will be available digitally on May 9th, and was originally self-released by Bazan in July of 2004. It features rearrangements of PTL classics "Transcontinental," "I Am Always The One Who Calls" and "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" and covers of Randy Newman, Cat Power and Radiohead.

Prior to his solo outing, he will be performing as part of the Undertow Orchestra in Europe, a joint effort with Vic Chesnutt, Mark Eitzel (American Music Club) and Will Johnson (Centro-matic). The four artists will take turns performing each other's songs while backed by the other three and Scott Danbom (Centro-matic) joining the Orchestra on piano and violin.

    David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
  1. Holy War (Making It, Faking It, Breaking It)
  2. How I Remember (Don't Cry, I'm Not Gonna Hurt You)
  3. Backwoods Nation (Here We Go Again)
  4. Fewer Broken Pieces (Precious, Please Make Up Your Mind)
  5. Cold Beer and Cigarettes (The Devil Is Beating His Wife)
David Bazan On Tour
DateCity, StateVenue
As Part of The Undertow Orchestra
May 31Mallorca, Balearic Islands, SpainTeatre Lloseta
June 1Zaragoza, Aragon, SpainCasa del Loco
June 3Barcelona, Catalonia, SpainPrimavera Fest
June 6Porto, Norte, PortugalCasa da Musica
June 7Haarlem, North Holland, NetherlandsPatronaat
June 8Utrecht, Utrecht, NetherlandsTivoli de Helling
June 9The City of Brussels, Brussels, BelgiumAB Club
June 10London, EnglandUnion Chapel
Solo
June 15Chicago, ILSchuba’s
June 16Cleveland, OHThe Grog Shop
June 17Toronto, ONMusic Gallery
June 18Montreal, QCMile End Cultural Centre
June 18Cambridge, MAT.T. The Bear's
June 20Brooklyn, NYSouthpaw
June 21Hoboken, NJMaxwell's
June 22Philadelphia, PAWorld Cafe Live
June 23Washington, DCBlack Cat
June 24Pittsburgh, PAClub Café
June 25Newport, KYSouthgate House