Sonic Youth Frontman Thurston Moore might be the closest thing we’ve got to a living poet and noise rock legend (even if the band’s breakup might have left everyone’s head spinning). But even if you walked away thinking he was an asshole, it would still be neat to see him at the tiny Rock and Roll hotel up in DC on his tour for Rock N Roll Consciousness out later this week.
Moore has no shortage of solo projects or collabs or poetry books, and this new release might not stand out in the face of Sonic Youth’s massive catalogue, but hey, judge for yourself with the new single “Smoke Of Dreams” below:
“Rock n Roll Consciousness is a new and exhilarating chapter for Thurston Moore and promises to be a creative highpoint for anyone interested in his legacy of avant-garde music and writing,” reads the press release we got this AM announcing the tour.
The track sounds a lot like SY’s later stuff and a departure from any number of his noisy, improvised side projects he also nurtured.
SY’s 2011 break up (Jesus, has it really been that long already?) has left a void for die hard fans who enjoyed their vast and diverse sound. “Smoke Of Dreams” seems to be a continuation of parts of that, and its still got the weird-tuned riffs Moore and SY were known for. Though I never dove into his last solo release, 2014’s The Best Day, so maybe there’s a more logical progression there.
I’m still not sure how I feel about all this, and who knows if a trip to DC would be worth it for this gig, but but Rock and Roll Hotel, where Moore will be playing on 7/23, would be a great venue to see such a legendary performer.
Check out the full list of dates below, and preorder Rock N Roll Consciousness (which drops 4/28) here.
The North American Tour Dates are:
May 8 – Vancouver, BC – The Imperial
May 9 – Seattle, WA – Neumos
May 10 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
May 12 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
May 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Teragram Ballroom
May 14 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation Room
May 17 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk
May 18 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
May 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
July 12 – Minneapolis, MN – Turf Club
July 14 – Chicago, IL – Pitchfork Music Festival
July 15 – Detroit, MN – Museum Of Contemporary Art Detroit
July 17 – Toronto, ON – The Great Hall
July 18 – Montreal, QB – La Sala Rossa
July 19 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
July 22 – Philadelphia PA – Underground Arts
July 23 – Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
