Matthew Houck, the brains and tattered voice behind Phosphorescent, has been spending a lot of time with Willie Nelson this year. In February, Houck released To Willie, an achy breaky collection of Nelson covers so well-received Nelson invited Houck to meet-up and perform on his Sirius/XM show as part of his 76th birthday celebration months later. They must have really hit it off: Phosphorescent has been asked to join Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and others at Farm Aid in October. And, in addition, Houck and Co. will be touring the States behind new Phosphorescent material just recorded in Brooklyn this summer. Many tears for you beers, dates below:

09.05 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
10.02 Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
10.04 St. Louis, MO @ Farm Aid, Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
10.05 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
10.07 Nashville, TN @ Exit In
10.08 Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree Cafe
10.09 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10.11 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
10.12 Charlotteville, VA @ IS Venue
10.13 Washington, DC @ Black Cat
10.14 Baltimore, MD @ The Ottobar
10.15 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10.16 Providence, RI @ Providence Black Repetory Theater

Willie Nelson just never stops working: today, he announced his planned MySpace secret show at his hometown bar in Maui, Hawaii, to coincide with the August 25 release of American Classic, his latest album on Blue Note. Part of the “Secret Show” series put on by MySpace Music, the concert will feature a guest appearance by Band of Horses and will take place at Charley’s Restaurant and Saloon in the town of Paia, located on Maui’s legendary Hana Highway.

American Classic, Nelson’s first album of jazz standards since 1978’s Stardust, features guest appearances by Norah Jones and Diana Krall, and will be streamed on MySpace in its entirety starting on August 22, along with a video on the making of the album which is currently on MySpace Music’s website. Nelson will also be previewing tracks from the album on his SIRIUS satellite radio program.

Hot on the heels of his Willie Nelson tribute album, To Willie, Phosphorescent will join the country legend at this year’s Farm Aid, along with John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Jamey Johnson, Wilco, Neil Young, and Jason Mraz. The concert, to be held on October 4 at St. Louis’ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, is one of many in Phosphorescent’s fall tour; a full roster of tour dates will be released in the near future, so stay tuned.

One would be hard-pressed to find a more American pastime than baseball. Combine the nation’s beloved sport with some American musical all-stars, and you have a recipe for one mind-blowing summer tour. Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and John Mellencamp will tour the country through mid-August, hitting ballparks from Pennsylvania to California. The seventh inning stretch will never be the same.

D.X. Ferris at Rolling Stone seemed to like what he saw; read his review here.

Tour dates are as follows:
7/13 Washington, PA at Consol Energy Park
7/14 Allentown, PA at Coca-Cola Park
7/15 New Britain, CT at New Britain Stadium
7/19 Syracuse, NY at Alliance Bank Stadium
7/21 Pawtucket, RI at McCoy Stadium
7/23 Lakewood, NJ at FirstEnergy Park
7/24 Aberdeen, MD at Ripken Stadium
7/25 Norfolk, VA at Harbor Park
7/28 Durham, NC at Durham Bulls Athletic Park
7/29 Sevierville, TN at Smokies Park
8/4 Round Rock, TX at The Dell Diamond
8/5 Corpus Christi, TX at Whataburger Field
8/7 Grand Prairie, TX at QuikTrip Park
8/11 Glendale, AZ at Camelback Ranch
8/12 Las Vegas, NV at Cashman Field
8/14 Fresno, CA at Chukchansi Park
8/15 Stockton, CA at Banner Island Ballpark

Phosphorescent’s more-than-just-a-tribute-album tribute album to Willie Nelson, To Willie, has been getting its share of praise since its release earlier this year — including from us — but the album’s latest fan is the man himself. Willie invited Phosphorescent to perform on his Sirius/XM radio channel “Willie’s Place” as part of his 76th birthday celebration.
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