Vetiver are hitting the road next week, with shows up and down the west coast and a peformance at the Sasquatch festival in Eastern Washington. We are of course elated to be rejoining our friends Fruit Bats for some of these shows, as well as other musical amigos The Mumlers, Citay, Michael Hurley, Alela Diane, Moore Brothers, and Farmer Dave Scher. So many talented friends...it's enough to make you lose your mind. The above photo, snapped by Alissa Anderson, illustrates what can happen when backstage snacks spell out this shared musical feeling. Nuts for bros!

Sasquatch isn't the only festival on the Vetiver horizon. Let's not forget our first show in the North Bay oasis of Sonoma, at the Huichica Festival, curated by Mr. Fruit Bat, Eric Johnson, and featuring some of the aforementioned acts as well as Tussle and Tortured Genies. The event is held at the Gundlach Bundschu winery on June 5th. Tickets and information can be found here.

Vetiver have also been invited to play at the Solid Sound Festival this August, at Mass MoCA. The festival is curated by, and featuring Wilco, alongside a bevy of their side-projects and other acts, and should be good fun. Tickets for the event can be obtained here.

Geez, what else? Well...Vetiver also make an appearance on a tribute compilation for Graham Nash's fantastic Songs For Beginners album, entitled Be Yourself. I have listened to it in it's entirety on Joel Bernstein's stereo system, and let me tell you, it sounds sweet! Check it out for yourself here and if you are near the East Bay on June 4th, please come join us for the release party, along with Alela Diane and the Moore Brothers at the New Parish in Oakland.

Lastly, I just wanted to mention that I will be joining Devendra Banhart's band for a month of summer festivals overseas this June and July, so I look forward to that. Details are up on Devendra's MySpace page.

See you soon!

Earlier this year, we had the distinct pleasure of taping a performance for Mountain Stage in Morgantown, WV. None of us realized ahead of time just how long lasting the program has been, nor the extent of it's rich history of guests and performers, but we were honored and delighted to take part and the whole afternoon and night was especially memorable for us. Well now NPR is streaming our night's performance this week, so have a look here to listen to the playlist of the evening and here to see if a station near you will be broadcasting the program.

Beyond that, we have a tour of the west coast coming up at the end of May, going into June, and we'll be performing those shows with some of our favorite bands and friends along the way: Fruit Bats, Citay, Alela Diane, the Moore Brothers and Farmer Dave Scher. Looking forward to it!

Photograph by Alissa Anderson

Autumn winds are picking up, blowing us across the ocean to play some shows throughout Europe these coming weeks. It's been quite a while since we've visited Italy and parts of Spain, and we're excited to be playing our first shows in Prague, Vienna, and other areas of Eastern Europe. Dates and venues are over on the LIVE page. Hope to see you there!

We will have new 12" singles for sale with us, which will be available in stores through Bella Union near the end of November. The pressing is limited to 500 copies and includes a radio mix of "More Of This", a remix (and instrumental) done by Neighbors, and a new song entitled "Slippery".

Thanks to those who came out and caught one of the few shows on this recent Emerald Triangle tour Farmer Dave, Johnathan Rice, Jonathan Wilson, Neal Casal, Colin Laroque and myself cooked up. A true delight to travel up north with those guys, visit friends and play in spots we'd never been to. Thanks to Colin for shining a light on (and in) Bruno, and to everyone for pulling together and making it happen.

More to come,

Andy

Navarro Beach, Mendocino County
photo by Alissa Anderson

The Emerald Triangle tour stops at the Caspar Inn
photo by Alissa Anderson

At the beginning of November, I'll be touring California with some talented friends I don't get to play music with nearly enough: Farmer Dave Scher, Jonathan Wilson, Johnathan Rice & Neal Casal. This Voltron-like assemblage was the brainchild of Dave, who had it in mind for us to travel to parts of Northern California where many of those fellas have never been, and play for the locals during harvest. The plan is to play a few songs of each of ours, and a bunch of tunes we like by others, and just enjoy the journey, so...I hope those of you in California who are nearby will come out and see us. This could be the only time this kind of thing ever happens...who knows?

In Vetiver news, we just played a short California tour, including a lovely show at the Treasure Island Festival here in SF. It was a blast. Thanks to everyone who braved the chilly wind and light drizzle to watch us. Thanks to Chris for traveling down and up with us and lending a (much needed) hand. Thanks to the Sanctuary in Santa Monica for showing us a great time and taking care of us down south, and of course, thanks to Britt for guiding us through the striking vibes of Brookdale. It was great to see friends we hadn't seen in a while, hear Sleepy Sun rockin' out and play the first shows with our new line up. Naturally we inaugurated the line up back east at Frankies Sputino, and so of course, a rousing cheers to the Franks for their generosity and fantastic eats. You guys are the best.

Tunnel Stage at Treasure Island. Photo by Chris Fallon

SF skyline view from Treasure Island. Photo by Chris Fallon

Autumn winds are heading our way, and with them come some changes for Vetiver. We just returned from some really nice tours: a run of cities out west, culminating in a terrific visit to the Pickathon festival just outside Portland; a couple of weeks with Beach House across Europe, ending up at the ever-wonderful Green Man Festival; and another string of dates throughout the UK, with stops at the Moseley Folk Festival, End Of The Road and Bestival. A lot to take in...a bounty of fun and friendly faces! We'd like to thank everyone who came out to see us and show their support, ever indebted to the appreciation and encouragement of our friends and fans. Thank you!

Photo by Alissa Anderson

It is not without some sadness, tempered of course with understanding and appreciation, that we say goodbye to Sanders, who is stepping off the stage with us for a while, slowing down to enjoy life at home with family and friends in North Carolina. I doubt when I first asked him to play and tour with Vetiver back in 2006 that he ever thought it would last this long! He's brought a lot to this group, and we hope he continues to make the most of all his endeavors back home [and sit in with us on occasion, when we pop through NC ; ]. Keep in touch amigo!

We're excited to be bringing Brooklyn's Bob Parins into the group over the coming months, as we do a short October tour in California towards the Treasure Island Festival in SF, then head back over to Europe for a month of shows in Italy, Spain, Portugal and parts surrounding in November and December, with our good buds, Fruit Bats.

There's talk of a new single of "More Of This" with a remix and b-side, for release in the fall, as well as some amalgamation of friends for a brief tour of Northern California in November, but i don't want to get too ahead of myself and will give you more info on that as it progresses.

Autumn is my favorite season. Here's hoping your days, like leaves, are bright with color.

Sunset at Pickathon. Photo by Alissa Anderson

Vetiver playing the stage in the woods at Pickathon. Photo by Alissa Anderson

Summer is heating up, and it looks like it's time for Vetiver to hop back in the van and play a few scattered shows and festivals around the world. At the end of July, we'll be doing a short tour out to Portland to perform at the Pickathon festival at Pendarvis Farm. Judging from what I've heard and seen, this should be really special, and we're thrilled to be invited to attend. Along the way, we'll be stopping through some cities we hardly ever play...cities like Boise, Denver, Salt Lake City, and...Bend, Oregon! So please come out and see us if you happen to be in the vicinity.

A short week or so after this west coast adventure, we'll be hopping on a plane and tearing across Europe with our friends Beach House, culminating in a show at the Green Man festival, always a favorite of ours. Stops in other countries we don't get around to very often include Norway, Sweden, and Germany. We'll be scooting around the UK a bit more in the weeks to follow, attending the End of the Road Festival, as well as Bestival on the Isle of Wight. Hope to see you there!

We'd also like to send out congratulations to our friend Lauren Dukoff, who's new book of photography, Family has just recently been published. It's a lovely work, filled with many of our compadres from over the years. Nice job Lo! Pick up a copy at a store near you!

Vetiver will be making the pilgrimage to that drunken orgy of musical mayhem fondly known as SXSW in the next couple of weeks, swinging through a host of delightful locales on the way down and back, so please do come out and see us, and kindly share any moral support and/or bbq advice you may have. The shows en route to Austin will be with the estimable Sian Alice Group and those upon return with the enchanting Larkin Grimm.

I'd like to take a moment and thank all the folks who came out to see us on this recent tour of Europe and the UK. Really wonderful venues, kind fans and helpful promoters made the tour a breeze, and we couldn't have done it without Ondra's steady hands and masterful GPS maneuvering. Cheers!

We're planning on returning late in the summer for some festivals and a few scattered shows, and hopefully later on in the year for a more extensive tour of the continent. As always, if you are interested in helping us set up a show, please contact Todd through our Contact page.

Also dates are up for short runs in April on the west coast with one of our favorite songwriters, Richard Swift, and on the east coast and northward in May with good friends of ours, Papercuts. Needless to say, we are very excited by these bills and looking forward to the tours.

So to recap, our new album Tight Knit is available in stores throughout the US, Canada, Australia and Japan, and Bella Union will have it ready for you over in the UK and Europe March 16th. In advance of that, they've also printed up a limited run of 7"s for the song "Everyday", with a wonderful cover design by one of our favorite artists and the designer of Tight Knit, Nathaniel Russell. This will be available March 9th, so jump on it, as there are only 500 being made.

See you on the road!

It's official! Your reputable local record shop should have copies of Tight Knit in the bins as of today, so treat yourself to a listen and lay hands on the fine artwork and packaging, courtesy of Nathaniel Russell and the fine folks at Sub Pop.

Bella Union should have copies available overseas right as we finish our tour, for which we leave tonight! Very excited are we. I'll be bringing with us some copies of the cd to sell, as well as some shirts, for those in need of new attire.

We want to extend a hearty thank you to the fine folks at Frankies Sputino in Brooklyn, for allowing us to get down last evening with a few friends in celebration of our new release. Always a pleasure to eat there!

Europe and the UK, here we come!

photo by Alissa Anderson

photo by Andrew

Greetings in the new year! Hope all is well in your world, as it is in ours.

We finished off 2008 with some really fun shows, sharing the stage with the Black Crowes and playing parts of the U.S. many of us had never been to before. Thanks to Kevin Barker and Eric Johnson for rounding out the group with fresh dance moves and spot-on regional accents. I wouldn't have wanted to brave the cold weather with anyone else. Be on the lookout for Eric and his Fruit Bats on an upcoming west coast tour, as well as a killer solo outing from Kevin forthcoming this year on Gnomonsong.

Down below you will find a few of the many wonderful photos taken by the lovely Alissa Anderson, our ever-faithful merchandise coordinator and bearer-of-good-vibes, from this past tour. Of particular note would be the family jam portion of the Crowes set, when they threw caution to the wind and invited us up on stage to join them on a couple of traditional numbers. In Minneapolis we were reunited with our good friend Gary Louris, who we hadn't seen since earlier in the year on the tour we shared together. Good times. Dapper as ever, it was great to share the stage with him again, and in the company of the Crowes no less. Thanks for having us along, fellas! It was a blast.

In about a month from now, Feb. 17 to be precise, our new album Tight Knit will be available in stateside stores on our new label, Sub Pop. Shortly thereafter it will make its debut across the pond at our new home abroad, Bella Union. However, the foresighted folk at Sub Pop have enabled you to pre-purchase the album right now, and by doing so, you receive immediate access to a stream of the new record! What a very modern and appealing feature.

I'm also pleased to welcome to the touring line-up of Vetiver two new fresh faces...family really. Sarah Versprille will be accompanying us on keys and vocals and Daniel Hindman will be holding it down on bass. Brent has returned to the cozy confines of Charlotte to code and settle into some knot-tying, and though we'll miss his steady hands and warm ways, we're looking forward to the new hues of this ever-changing palette.

Yes, we're excited to return with all this shiny newness, with some fresh songs and travels, so be on the lookout for tour dates as they are devised. We'll be headed to the UK and Europe for a brief moment at the end of February, including a show with those harmonizing Fleet Foxes at the Roundhouse...quite a treat. An east coast jaunt down to Austin for SXSW will follow in March, as well dates on the west coast in April. Hope to see you along the way!

Vetiver at Herrick Chapel, Grinnell College, Iowa

At First Ave. in Minneapolis, with Gary Louris & the Crowes.

Hey there! Back in blogland again, with news to share about a new 5 song e.p. which will be in stores on November 11. Featuring covers that we recorded for Thing Of The Past which were left
off the album, it's got a couple of doozies on it and some nice surprises, including Michael Hurley guesting on fiddle and Jonathan Rice and "Farmer" Dave singing along on "See You Tonight", a great old tune by The Wizards. Also in stores is an accompanying 7" single, with our version of A.R.Kane's "Miles Apart", a favorite of mine and a slightly different side of what Vetiver's put out there in the past. I hope you dig it.

Coming up in a few short weeks we'll be out on the road again, this time in the midwest opening up for the Black Crowes. Many of the cities we're travelling to we have never played before, so we hope you'll be able to make it out and catch us. We'll have our good friend Eric Johnson from the Fruitbats joining us on keys and lap steel, and Kevin Barker from Currituck Co. sliding over on bass. These dates are up in the live section. If you have any suggestions for stuff to check out in your city or town, please send word or leave a comment!

Also it's worth a mention that we've signed to Sub Pop, who will be releasing our new album, Tight Knit, next year. So far February 17 is the date, and we're really excited to be working with them.
More touring and other fun stuff is sure to follow, and there's talk of us even trying to come to SXSW this year, which would be a first for us.

More to come....

It seems we barely had a moment to catch our breath before we flew out, up and over to the UK, caught a train to Brussels and met up with our tour shepherd, Stefan, who reliably escorted us from vista to vista in a large Sprinter van. Halfway through, he tagged out and our old chum Kelly Schnetz climbed into the driver seat and sped us off on part deux of our elongated tour. Journeys through the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and Holland ensued, and though we enjoyed it all, we are now very thoroughly exhausted. Thanks to all the kind ears and smiling faces who consented to join us for all the shows. It was epic, and I'm at a loss to recap all the tidbits of two months spent moving about. Suffice to say, we learned a lot, laughed a little and ate a lot of cheese.

Along with all of this hoo-ha, we now have a new album out of songs not written by me.
It's called "Thing Of The Past" and it looks like this:

It's in stores, on iTunes, all that stuff, and we'll of course have copies with us at shows. Vinyl is out as well and it's a beautiful gate-fold in the states and slim and trim over in the UK and Europe. There was a nice little write up in the NY Times about it. That was a surprise.

We made some inroads into the blogosphere a little while back, with a quick little clip prepared by Naturalismo and a mix I prepped for the site When You Awake. Before all this galavanting began, I had the pleasure of dropping by the offices of Revolver and recording a bit of Q & A with Uli and Potsie. Fun stuff, and apologies for the delay in taking note
of it all.

Below are some assorted pictures courtesy of Sanders and Brent. Thanks guys!

This is the bear tea-party we got invited to. Nice bunch of bears...very civilized.

Plaque on the wall of the BBC studio we tracked our Rob Da Bank session in.

Vetiver and Birds Of Avalon at the end of a lovely night at the Dulcimer in Manchester.

Flat Rachel takes Paris by storm!

Otto gladly reenacts the drunken mugging attempted on Brent upon our return to Lisbon, and
the sight of it's occurrence, two years later. Fun times!

Hanging in the padded VIP room at Porto's lovely
Passos Manuel, with our new friends from Madrid,
Hola a todo el mundo.

Sunset, Stonehenge

Well tonight is the first show of a short tour we're doing with one of America's best songwriters,
Gary Louris. I don't know about you, but his group The Jayhawks, released two albums i used to listen to a whole lot, 'Hollywood Town Hall' and 'Tomorrow The Green Grass'. This tour is in support of his recently released solo debut, 'Vagabonds', a great album featuring many friends of ours, like Jonathan Wilson, Thom Monahan and Chris Robinson. Otto Hauser plays drums on the record and i even managed to swoop by and sing on a couple tunes. We're honored and excited to be invited along!

Anyway, we've been rehearsing for a few days up in Minneapolis, and have learned a ton of Gary's tunes, as we will be both opening these shows AND backing up Gary during his set. Plenty of stuff off the new album alongside classic Jayhawks numbers and a few choice covers. Vetiver will be debuting a bunch of new songs we're trying to work out for the next record. The talented Eric Heywood is also sitting in on pedal steel and guitar during Gary's set, so these shows should be a real treat. Catch us while you can, if you can!

Singing songs at Gary's. Those pretzels have peanut butter in them! Yum!

photos by Sanders Trippe

Greetings and happy new year everybody!

Just dropping a note to let you know that along with the patch of Pine Spikes we have growing in our backyard, we also have a new 12" in stores, available from Gnomonsong and FatCat, featuring remixes by Neighbors of two songs from our last album, To Find Me Gone. Don't let the fact that it took so damn long for the thing to come out dissuade you from hunting it down and allowing it to boggle your mind a little bit.

I have just approved the master and am finishing up the cover art for the next Vetiver
full-length album, which should see the light of day on Gnomonsong sometime in May.
It is an album of covers, some songs we've been performing live, and others that we just
admire and wanted to try our hand at. I think it came out pretty well.

At some point soon we'll be giving this website a bit of shine and polish and debuting
a couple of songs from the album. I find the whole enterprise of maintaining this site
a bit more than i can handle, so i'll need to enlist the aid of a few friends to get us there,
but at least we're on our way.

Lastly, we'll be posting some tour dates soon. It wasn't looking like we had plans for
playing live right away, but that may be changing. More to come...

We also just did a short run with our friends The Shins. Those guys are the best! Thanks for taking us along with you, having us share the stage with you at Merriweather and Terminal 5 and also sharing hot tubs and mechanical bulls with us as well. Good times. Thanks as always to the lovely Alissa Anderson for the photos and moving the merch. You rule! And another big hug to Eric Johnson, who gave us the Johnson guarantee: night after night of complete and total amazingness. Thanks Eric!

Also another huge, loving thanks to the Franks and their amazing restaurant in Brooklyn, at which you should all go eat. A moonbow in the sky, and time flying by with friends...what more could you ask for?!

Lastly, we never would have looked as good as we did (see photo below) without the fine threadwork and fancypants provided us by the ever-classy folks at Loden Dager. They make great clothes! Thanks Paul, Alex, Oliver, et al. We look better now.

At the moment, I am on the road with Devendra Banhart, Otto is playing and recording with a bunch of folks, and Sanders and Brent are living large in North Carolina, storing up the energy of the sun. I'll be mixing a new record of songs we recorded which were written by other people besides myself (they're calling those "cover" songs these days!) in December which we'll hopefully release sometime in the Spring. Early next year a 12" remix of two songs from our last record will finally be available...better late than never, methinks. I've been told it sounds like Depeche Mode, which makes me very happy.

Hope your end of the year tidies itself up nicely and if anything interesting comes up we'll do our best to make mention of it right here.

All Photos by Alissa Anderson except where noted.

Jivin' at the Five

Riffing "See You Tonight" With The Shins..........Photo by Virgina Morrow

Easy There!

Yes!

How Not To Ride The Bull

Singing Opera, Riding Bull

Passing Along My WristStrong® Bracelet To Someone More Famous Than Me!

And From James To Kim...The Saga Continues!..........Photo by Virginia Morrow

Looking Good In Loden Dager

Eating Gemelli At Frankies

Frank Killing It On Harmonica

photo of Pingvellir by Krummi Bjorgvinsson

Big thanks to Krummi, Frosty, Raven and Benni!
An early arrival in Iceland, and rainy grey day in Reykjavík, eventually gives way to a unbelievable
walk around the grounds of Þingvellir National Park and a soothing soak in the sulfury waters of
the Blue Lagoon. Tonight we play at a new venue in town, Organ, and then off to London for the
Field Day Festival in Victoria Park.

photo by Krummi Bjorgvinsson