After a serious non-stop time-travel four day mind warp across the entire width of the country, the Blue Note delivered us to the Motel 6 just outside of New Haven, Connecticut. The following evening we blasted through our set, including a new Barton Carroll inspired rave-up version of “You Can’t Win”. Spent most of the day reading in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library near the Yale Law School.

Poplars © Daniel Robinson

The Mass. shows were all really solid. Mrs. Hersh does well in this state and her fans were quite receptive to Dolorean’s “buffet style” of music. We spent four days in Boston with good friends (Steve, Sonja & Robbie) and visited the Mercury Gallery down on Newbury St. to see some of Daniel Robinson’s newest paintings.

Abby’s Sun Porch, Niantic © Shana Novak

Brooklyn has been our homebase for the last few days. Looking forward to the Bowery Ballroom show tonight. Got a super nasty dis in TIME OUT NEW YORK — “On You Can’t Win, Dolorean plays softhearted ballad after softhearted ballad — the musical equivalent of a ponytailed man sipping tea and discussing PBS documentaries”…But I guess it just depends on the context… How long is the ponytail? Is he slightly balding? What sort of tea is it? And is the PBS documentary “Alone In The Wilderness” by Dick Proenneke? Depending on the combination of these variables it could make for a great experience.

Had a completely painless photo shoot with a photographer named Shana Novak yesterday. Check out her portfolio here.

Also, take note of Dolorean/Barton Carroll shows that have been added in Asheville, NC and Lubbock, TX.

New Dolorean footage up online here –”Heather Remind Me How This Ends”, “My Still Life” and a new track called “All Over This Town”.

©Dana Ullman
No more hanging out at Portland Meadows playing the horses, no more pinot noir barrel tasting down at McKinlay Vineyards, no more three dollar double features down at The Academy Theater. It’s time to get out of town and get some work done. The ever-shifting Dolorean line-up will unveil a new frost-brewed formula for the Spring 2007 tour - “Dolo-fingers”. Barton Carroll (lead guitar/lap steel), and Dov Friedman (drums/percussion) from Eric Bachmann’s Crooked Fingers, will join ex-Sunset Valley Jonathan Drews (bass) and myself, Al James (guitar/vocals) for a month long tour in support of the new Dolorean release YOU CAN’T WIN. As previously reported, all shows are opening for Kristin Hersh and The McCarricks:

(opening for KRISTIN HERSH and The McCarricks)
WED 04.18.07–New Haven, CT–Cafe 9
THU 04.19.07–Fall River, MA–Narrows Center for the Arts
FRI 04.20.07–Northhampton, MA–The Ironhorse
SAT 04.21.07–Arlington, MA–Regent Theater
MON 04.23.07–Philadelphia, PA–World Cafe Live
WED 04.25.07–New York, NY–The Bowery Ballroom
THU 04.26.07–Arlington, VA–Iota Club & Cafe
SAT 04.28.07–Asheville, NC–Harvest Records instore
(*Barton Carroll supports 4 P.M.)
SUN 04.29.07–Carrboro, NC–Cat’s Cradle
MON 04.30.07–Atlanta, GA–The Earl
WED 05.02.07–Austin, TX–The Cactus Cafe
THU 05.03.07–Lubbock, TX
(*Dolorean headlines, Barton Carroll and Thriftstore Cowboys support)
FRI 05.04.07–Albuquerque, NM–Golden West
SAT 05.05.07–Phoenix, AZ–Modified Arts Center
SUN 05.06.07–Tucson, AZ–Plush
TUE 05.08.07–San Diego, CA–The Casbah
WED 05.09.07–Los Angeles, CA–El Rey Theater
THU 05.10.07–Big Sur, CA–Big Sur Folk
FRI 05.11.07–Monterey, CA–Monterey Live
SAT 05.12.07–Santa Cruz, CA–The Attic
SUN 05.13.07–San Fransisco, CA–Great American Music Hall
TUE 05.15.07–Portland, OR–Aladdin Theatre
WED 05.16.07–Seattle, WA–Tractor Tavern

Lots of things in the hopper right now:

1. Two new dates supporting Irish band The Frames in Portland and Seattle in early April. Check performances.

2. More dates with Kristin Hersh and The McCarricks added. Check performances.

3. NPR “Song of the Day” this week. Read it here.

4. Last night I recorded another podcast. This time with Acoustic Conversations, a new music-focused venture by some of the beer30 folks. It went well, lots of dolo-talk and four live performances- “In Love With The Doubt”, “What One Bottle Can Do”, “Just Don’t Leave Town” and “Heather Remind Me How This Ends”. Should be posted online next week here.

5. Filming a music video for “We Winter Wrens” produced by The Mercy Brothers.

6. Filming the Music Millennium in-store tomorrow to post online.

7. Finishing up the tracking of “How Could I Have Guessed” a new song commissioned for an upcoming film.

8. You Can’t Win re-mixes by COPY? Looking like a strong possibility.

9. Upcoming Yep Roc Records sponsored Dolo-contest. Actually pretty great prizes involved. More info coming soon.

There are three upcoming Portland shows to celebrate the release of You Can’t Win. Dolorean.com has developed an easy guide to determine which show is right for you.

Wednesday, March 14
Loggernaut Reading Series Presents:
Dolorean with author Daniel Mason
Mississippi Studios
Reading starts at 7:30
$10.00 (All ticket sales go directly to Write Around Portland)
online ticket info here

This show is for you if:
a) You enjoy seeing Dolorean perform wearing collared shirts tucked in.
b) You don’t like staying out late in crowded bars
c) You are my mom and step-dad
e) You need a tax write-off

Saturday, March 17th
Blackbird Presents:
Dolorean with Kaitlyn ni Donovan and Isolade, Trevino Brings Plenty, DJ Lincolnup
9 P.M.
Someday Lounge
$8.00 (All proceeds go directly to a new timing belt and water pump for the van)

This show is for you if:
a) You like your sorrowful tunes veiled in a hazy party-like atmosphere
b) You are looking for a St. Patricks Day activity that doesn’t involve a $20.00 cover at one of Portland’s many faux-pubs.
c) You might enjoy dancing in between sets and afterwards to Justin Timberlake, MF Doom, and Ah-Ha.
d) You enjoy the new, slightly louder Dolorean when Al plays a Telecaster.

Saturday, March 24th
Music Millennium Presents:
Dolorean
NW 23rd Ave. and Johnson
Free/All Ages
6 P.M.

This show is for you if:
a) You’re a parking masochist
b) You have younger kids that you want to grow up strong and true in the ways of Dolorean
c) You’re broke
d) You want to see a Dolorean set before taking the band out for dinner at 23 Hoyt.

*A sincere thanks to the longtime friends, family and fans that have bought copies of the new record over the last few weeks. It’s been a great start for You Can’t Win and we couldn’t do it without our supporters. We sincerely hope that you can make it out to one of these Portland shows and celebrate with us. THANK YOU!*

+
=SPRING TOUR

Dolorean will be hitting the road from mid-April to mid-May with Throwing Muses/50 Foot Wave workaholic Kristin Hersh (just look at her tour schedule over the last few months!). She’s promoting her new solo record Learn To Sing Like A Star out on 4AD/YepRoc. We’re very thankful for her inviting us to join her on these dates. Obviously there are a ton of shows to be filled in, but these are confirmed:

TH 04.19.07
Narrows Center for the Arts
Fall River, MA

FR 04.20.07
Iron Horse
Northhampton, MA

SA 04.21.07
Regent Theater
Arlington, MA

MO 04.23.07
World Cafe Live
Philadelphia, PA

WE 04.25.07
The Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY

TH 04.26.07
Iota Club & Cafe
Arlington, VA

WE 05.09.07
El Rey Theater
Los Angeles, CA

SU 05.13.07
Great American Music Hall
San Fransisco, CA

There are very few belongings that I give a rip about these days- my record collection, a few kitchen things, a couple photos… But I have two pieces of sheet music framed as well. One is “Ohio” by Neil Young, the other is “Old Man“, by Neil also. I found them at a yard sale, 2 fer 25 cents. I just found these live Neil videos posted online. Ohio, and Old Man. They are unbelievable. Never did I imagine that Neil was this good in his younger days. All the books I read about him led me to believe that his live performances were spotty at best…too emotional…too drugged out…I stand corrected. These are beautiful… Al

We’ll be taking part in the KEXP organized pdXplore showcase this Friday at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle (Ballard). Horsefeathers is also on the bill. It’s an early show from 7pm until 9pm, only a $6.00 cover. More details on the ‘performances’ page.

Also, local DJ Greg Glover played some new Dolorean on his awesome “Bottom Forty” show last Sunday Eve on 94.7 NRK. You can find out more about the show here.

The New York Times kicked off this week of our record release with a nice review:

DOLOREAN
“You Can’t Win” (Yep Roc)
The first two syllables of Dolorean’s name tell you an awful lot about this Portland, Ore., band. “You Can’t Win,” its sumptuously draggy third album, consists of 11 songs by the singer and songwriter Al James. Each inhabits a climate of oddly contented despondency: Mr. James clearly isn’t interested in feeling better, though he appreciates your concern.

“I can’t seem to find anything to take my mind off you,” he sighs in a standout track, “Beachcomber Blues.” He goes on to complain about sand in his shoe, emotional debris and “these crashing waves of truth.” Somehow he sounds neither precious nor self-pitying singing these lines over a background reminiscent of Southern California folk-rock. Emil Amos plays a few sparse guitar interjections. Life goes on. Nothing resolves.

The band’s hazy-beautiful sound can suggest the Jayhawks or early Wilco, though there’s a clearer connection to Neil Young. (Maybe too clear, judging by a sepia-tinted waltz called “Buffalo Gal.”) And while Mr. James can spin a good tale as a lyricist, he strives for extreme concision here. In “You Can’t Win” he repeats the title phrase as a mantra, in harmony with a few other voices. They sound dreamy and resigned, at peace with defeat. NATE CHINEN

©Jonathan Drews

We’ve got two Portland shows coming up to celebrate the release of You Can’t Win. The first appearance will be on Wednesday, March 14th at Mississippi Studios. This is a fundraising event for Write Around Portland put on by the Loggernaut Reading Series. In his only Portland appearance, Daniel Mason, author of the critically hailed novel The Piano Tuner will read from his much anticipated sophmore effort, A Far Country. Write Around Portland is an organization that brings writing workshops to the underserved in our community - prison inmates, HIV/AIDS victims, domestic abuse survivors, teen parents, adults in foster care and many others. The reading starts at 7:30, Dolorean will follow with a full set of music. Ticket price will be $10.00. All profits from ticket sales will go directly to Write Around Portland.

A few days later on Saturday, March 17th Dolorean will host a record release show at Someday Lounge. Chantelle at Blackbird Presents helps promote. More details on ticket price and show poster soon.

I can remember being 17 and realizing that the message on our answering machine was one that I had recorded for my mom when I was in seventh grade. I called my own house from a friend’s, nobody picked up (quite rare) and I got the machine. What I heard was my own pre-pubescent mouse squeak instructing the caller to leave their name and number and the James family would call them back. It was horrible to realize that every person who had called our house over the previous five years had been hearing this recording. In a recent similar horror I just got the link to a podcast that I conducted with local podcasters/bloggers that call their show beer30live. Granted, when we recorded the interview last week I had a foggy headcold that made my already mumbly, froggy voice worse, but do I really say “like” that much? Shame on me!!! Someone close and dear to me please set me straight on my embarassing habits. Something to work on I suppose. The content of the interview and the three songs that we recorded did come out very well and I appreciate their including me on their show. To see the beer30live site and listen to the podcast in it’s entirety simply link here. (***the record release show I mention in the interview and is listed on their webpage will be confirmed shortly, until then this is a preliminary date***)

Also, I’ve set up permanent links on the top right hand corner of this page to stream You Can’t Win and/or view the Beachcomber Blues media player.

Local music writer Brain Blair of the Salem Monthly printed the first article about You Can’t Win. The article is listed online here.

My sincere thanks to Mr. Blair and the entire beer30live crew for firing the first shots in this You Can’t Win online guerrilla war. Thanks for covering what we created.

One last note - I’m headed down to the under-new-management SLABTOWN tonight to see THE BUGS and THE NICE BOYS. Sam Soule is starting to book some very heavy music down there in the garage/blooze/scuzz/punk vein. A welcome change.

Yep Roc Records takes it to the limit with a new media player that streams You Can’t Win from start to finish. After clicking on the provided link here, simply click again on the link entitled “Listen to You Can’t Win“. After the media player fires up you are free to open or close other webpages. If you want to stay at the Yep Roc Records webpage and pre-order the album I certainly won’t complain, but if you are interested in some awe-inspiring visual stimulation to accompany the You Can’t Win tracks I’d like to direct you to photographer Alec Soth’s website, here. I strongly recommend the projects called “Sleeping by the Mississippi”, and “NIAGARA”. These are world class photography collections that Mr. Soth has made available for viewing online. His wordpress blog (also on the site) is my inspiration for developing this site using the same format. He is a relentless artist that not only creates life-affirming work, but also thoughtfully questions current trends in art and culture. A national treasure for sure. Enjoy the music and photos.

Also,


Found both of these today on LP up at Georgetown Records in Seattle, WA. Both of ‘em are absolute face-crispers. The Electric Prunes is an original Reprise pressing, not the re-issue. Won’t tell you what I paid for ‘em.