Blitzen Trapper - Girl In A Coat

American Goldwing has been out for nearly a year now, and the band continues to pump out singles from it like it's 1990 or something. And yet Sub Pop can't forward over a zip file for me to review the fucking thing.

If I didn't think that Blitzen Trapper were such a good band and American Goldwing such a good album, I would have let this thing end up in the recycle bin. But gosh, is it good and a bit close to home.

I went over to my Grandparent's house once, on a whim, with nothing but a pair of clothes and a cheap Radio Shack tape recorder that I bought along the way. The idea was to record them telling old stories. What I came away with was nothing much than bickering and self-consciousness. My grandmother would interrupt each story with "Todd, are you recording this? You know I hate the sound of my voice! Turn that thing off!"

That and the incredible fidelity of those Radio Shack cassettes rendered the entire project useless and I found the ruined tape of the interview in the trunk of my old Honda moments after selling it and cleaning the thing out.

Then they were gone.

I hate death. And I hate the idea of getting old and dying. Ironically, I'm totally looking forward to retirement and all the laziness and grumpiness that comes with it, but I resent the idea that all of this comes in a body that is slowly breaking.

The video for Blitzen Trapper's "Girl In A Coat" kind of captures that, at least from the perspective from a man reaching the end of his life with a firm recount of a love from many years passed.

I hope love is this powerful in real life.

The assclowns at Sub Pop wrote the following:

Blitzen Trapper have premiered a poignant and heartfelt video for American Goldwing track, "Girl In A Coat" via a shitty magazine website that only lets you read their articles online only when you subscribe to their toilet paper publication. The clip was directed by Daniel Elkayam (Blitzen Trapper's "Black River Killer" & "The Tree") and stars band drummer Brian Koch and his grandfather, Arthur Koch.  Brian Koch, who also wrote and produced the video, stated "Four years ago I interviewed my Grandfather at the age of 96 to talk about his life.  I was struck by how, even though so much had become blurry, confused or completely fallen away from his memory, some things remained.  Just shy of his 100th birthday, Daniel and I began to create a video from my Grandfather's perspective, blurring the boundaries of time and space in memory.  "Girl In A Coat," with its wearied narrative of retrospection, seemed the perfect match for the concept."

Blitzen Trapper are currently on a headline tour supporting American Goldwing. The tour will visit Alexandria, VA tomorrow night, July 17^th with a performance at The Birchmere, and wraps up on September 2 in Seattle, WA at Bumbershoot. Along the way, the band has additional festival appearances to mention: Newport Folk Festival in Newport, RI on July 27^th; Pickathon in Happy Valley, OR August 3^rd-5^th; Doe Bay Festival In Olga, WA on August 11^th-12^th; And Summer Meltdown Festival in Arlington, WA on August 10^th;. Immediately following the late summer headline jaunt, the band will act as main support for label mates The Head and The Heart, which begins on September 18th in Spokane, WA at Knitting Factory and wraps up on October 10th in Eugene, OR at the McDonald Theatre.  The entire tour schedule is listed below.

In related news, fans can stream Blitzen Trapper’s forthcoming set at Newport Folk Fest on July 27^th via NPR.
 

Tour Dates:

Jul. 17 - Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere

Jul. 18 - Richmond, VA - The National

Jul. 19 - Charlotte, NC - Casbah at Tremont Music Hall

Jul. 20 - Charleston, SC - The Charleston Pourhouse

Jul. 21 - Wilmington, NC - The Soapbox

Jul. 22 - Knoxville, TN - Cider House

Jul. 24 - Cincinnati, OH  - Taft Ballroom

Jul. 25 - Millvale, PA - Mr. Small’s Theatre

Jul. 26 - York, PA - Capitol Theater

Jul. 27 - Newport, RI - Newport Folk Festival 

Jul. 30 - Indianapolis, IN - Deluxe @ Old National Centre

Jul. 31 - Columbia, MO - Mojo’s

Aug. 03-05 - Happy Valley, OR - Pickathon Festival 

Aug.10 - Arlington, WA - Summer Meltdown Festival

Aug. 11 - 12 - Olga, WA - Doe Bay Music Festival

Sep. 01 - Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheatre**

Sep. 02 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival

Sep. 18 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory*

Sep. 19 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theatre*

Sep. 20 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory*

Sep. 02- Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot*

Sep. 23 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater*

Sep. 25 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater*

Sep. 26 - Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue*

Sep. 28 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre*

Sep. 30 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom*

Oct. 02 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre*

Oct. 03- San Diego, CA - Spreckels Theatre*

Oct. 05 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern*

Oct. 07 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre*

Oct. 10 - Eugene, OR - McDonald Theatre*

*w/ The Head And The Heart

** w/ Brandi Carlile

*** w/ no Iowa dates to speak of. Mojo's in Columbia would be a good place to see 'em, plus they have good bbq there.