TOBIN SPROUT SHARES “A WALK ACROSS THE HUMAN BRIDGE” VIDEO
ANNOUNCES FIRST EVER WEST COAST TOUR WITH ELF POWER SUPPORTING
How do you bring a childโs curiosity to life? Forย Tobinย Sprout, formerly of indie rock icons Guided by Voices, the answer is to revisit it with the wounded tenor of an aging piano man; someone searching, desperately, for his place in the cosmos.ย The Universe and Meย isย Sproutโsย sixthย solo album; hatched during a seven-year gestation period that included unearthing lost recordings (the single, โFuture Boy Today/Man ofย Tomorrowโ for one, was being saved for GBV), and digging through a treasure chest of memories in his home studio in Michigan, whereย Sproutย composed behindย his shambling grand piano and trembling, boyish voice. Each home recording was captured live withย Sproutโs new band โ which led to marvelous imperfections.
The Universe and Meย takesย aย deliberately primitive approach that focuses on feeling, as opposed to production. The result is a vague bridgeย betweenย the ballads of psych-era Beatles,ย andย the haunting vulnerability of Daniel Johnstonโsย Hi, How Are You?.ย Itโs no surprise, then, ย thatย Sproutย penned and illustrated his ownย magical childrenโs books asย Theย Universe and Meย ย playsย like a deceptively dense re-imagining of simple subjects like comic books, finding your purpose in life, and growing old.
Many of the 14 tracks acts like a diorama of a boyโs imagination, like โFuture Boy/Man ofย Tomorrow,โ which was inspired byย Sprout’s fascination with superheroes from his childhood. Not every song, however, is aboutย Sproutโs childhood. โWalk Across the Human Bridgeโ is a heavy-hitting rocker driven by shredding and lyrics describing the decline of humanity. โTomorrowย From Heavenโ is about dealing with the sadness that follows death. Pasted together as a collage, as opposed to a rigid whole, and we haveย theย soundtrack toย Tobinย Sproutโs life
The Universe and Meย will be available on Burger Records onย January 27, with a limited pressing of a baby blue vinyl for the first 300 copies. Following the release,ย Sproutย and his new band will embark on a nationwide tour. This will be his first tour in over a decade, supported by Burger Records, whoโll be reissuingย Sproutโs mid-’90s Matador albums โย Carnival Boyย andย Moonflowerย Plasticย โ in the months ahead
Tour Dates
Wed-May-17 Louisville, KY Zanzabar
Thu-May-18 Atlanta, GA 529 Club %
Fri-May-19 Athens, GA Georgia Theatre roof %
Sat-May-20 Birmingham, AL Syndicate Lounge %
Sun-May-21 Memphis, TN River Series at Harbor Town Amphitheater %
Mon-May-22 Nashville, TN The High Watt %
Tue-May-23 Asheville, NC Mothlight %
Wed-May-24 Carrboro, NC Catโs Cradle โ backroom %
Thu-May-25 Richmond, VA Strange Matter %
Fri-May-26 Columbus, OH Big Room Bar
Sat-May-27 Indianapolis, IN The Hi Fi
Wed-July-19 Iowa City, IA The Mill %
Thu-Jul-20 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry %
Fri-July-21 Omaha, NE Reverb %
Sat-July-22 Denver, Co Larimer Lounge %
Tue-July-25 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge %
Wed-July-26 Seattle, WA Barboza %
Fri-July-28 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord %
Sat-July-29 Santa Ana, CA Constellation Room %
Sun-July-30 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Bar %
Mon-July-31 San Diego, CA The Casbah %
Tue-Aug-1 Tuscon, AZ Club Congress %
Wed-Aug-2 Albuquerque, NM Sister %
Fri-Aug-4 Austin, TX Barracuda %
Sat-Aug-5 Norman, OK The Opolis %
Sun-Aug-6 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill %
% with Elf Power