Holiday Shores are southerners. Floridians, to be exact. They like beer. Their guitar player has been known to rock a camouflage hat on more than one occassion (see above). Therefore, it makes sense for the group to extol the virtues of Southern living on the nation, and who better to do so with than Norman, Oklahoma’s own Evangelicals. Ok, this pairing may seem a bit odd at first but hear me out. Evangelicals are known for their midnight horror vibe, while Holiday Shores prefer sunlight to moonlight. And we all know we can’t have darkness, without light, skinny without fat and tall without short, otherwise Twins just wouldn’t make sense. Get it? Good. You have now passed Tripwire Philosophy 101 and can move on to the graduate level course hosted at your local community college.

10.11  Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder ^
10.19 Hamden, CT @ The Space
10.20 New York, NY @ Cake Shop (Poptarts Suck Toasted Day Party) @
10.22  Brooklyn, NY @ Shea Stadium (Myopenbar Party) $
10.23  Brooklyn, NY @ Trash Bar (Breakthru Radio Day Party)
10.23  New York, NY @ The Delancey (twosyllable records/Underwater Peoples CMJ Showcase) #
10.24  Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (AAM Day Party)
11.2  Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts*
11.4  San Francisco, CA @ Hemlock Tavern*
11.5  Portland, OR @ Holocene*
11.6  Seattle, WA @ The Vera Project*
11.7  Missoula, MT @ The Palace*
11.8  Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court*
11.9  Denver, CO @ Hi Dive*
11.11 Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar*
11.12 St. Louis, MO @ Firebird*
11.16 Washington, DC @ The Red and The Black*
11.17 Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie*
11.18 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall*
11.19 Allston, MA @ Great Scott*
11.20 Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place*
11.21 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern*
11.22 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern*
11.23 Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop*

^ w/Pattern is Movement
*w/Evangelicals
@ Surfer Blood, Princeton
$w/Javelin
#w/ Real Estate, New Villager, Inlets, Frat Dad, Pill Wonder

These Are Powers are taking it to the streets next month to support their Dead Oceans debut All Aboard Future, and they’re bringing a bunch of really cool friends along, too.

They’ll start out in Philadelphia with U.S. Girls on February 25, head to the west coast and back before wrapping things up in Richmond, Va., on March 27. Along the way they’ll also be playing with Abe Vigoda and Bird Names. (Tide your appetite over til then with our exclusive track from last week.)

These Are Powers U.S. tour dates
02.25.09 – Philadelphia, Penn. (The Marvelous Music) *
02.26.09 – Pittsburgh, Penn. (Lava Lounge) *
02.27.09 – Chicago, Ill. (The Hideout) **
02.28.09 – Grinnell, Iowa (Grinnell College Gardner Lounge) **
03.01.09 – Minneapolis, Minn. (Triple Rock Social Club) **
03.02.09 – Lincoln, Neb. (Box Awesome)
03.03.09 – Denver, Colo. (Rhinoceropolis)
03.04.09 – Salt Lake City, Utah (Kilby Court)
03.06.09 – Seattle, Wash. (Vera Project)
03.07.09 – Olympia, Wash. (The Northern)
03.08.09 – Portland, Ore. (Backspace)
03.11.09 – Chico, Calif. (Tion)
03.12.09 – Santa Cruz, Calif. (Crepe Place)
03.13.09 – Oakland, Calif. (Totally Intense Fractal Mindgaze)
03.14.09 – San Francicso, Calif. (Hemlock Tavern)
03.15.09 – Los Angeles, Calif. (The Echo/Part Time Punks)
03.16.09 – Phoenix, Ariz. (Phix Gallery) #
03.17.09 – Albequerque, N.M. (TBD)
03.19.09 – 03.21.09 – Austin, Texas (SXSW)
03.23.09 – Jackson, Miss. (121 Milsaps)
03.24.09 – Atlanta, Ga. (Eyedrum Gallery)
03.25.09 – Athens, Ga. (Caledonia Lounge)
03.26.09 – Chapel Hill, N.C. (Nightlight)
03.27.09 – Richmond, Va. (TBA)

* with U.S. girls
** with Birdnames
# with Abe Vigoda

It’s hasn’t even been two years since Phil Waldorf left Misra Records to form Dead Oceans alongside Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar, and in the past six months Dead Oceans has added four bands to its growing and increasingly impressive roster of artists. The latest to jump on board is Akron/Family, who previously recorded for Young God.

The band will release its still untitled fourth album, the follow-up to 2007’s Love is Simple, in April. The album will mark the band’s first studio recording as a three-piece following the 2007 departure of Ryan Vanderhoof to, apparently, join a Buddhist commune. Bassist and multi-instrumentalist Miles Seaton said the record is “not too heavy and not too clever.”

It started out being really inspired by American soul and West African music. We’re all still in love with American classic rock music, but [the new record] is inspired by many different directions. I’m really excited about the shifting voice of the narrative on this record. The lyrics, thematically, are shaped in this really organic and natural way around what is happening — something that is very real and true to us.

Seaton said it’s by no means a new Akron/Family, but that the album represents some extremes they haven’t before explored. The band will play some shows to celebrate New Year’s beginning December 28 in Boston, and closing out the year at The Knitting Factory in New York.

Akron/Family
Dead Oceans